Constabeth One-Shots
by Cel140
Summary: A collection of one-shots that have been floating around my head, all based on our beautiful schoolteacher and handsome Mountie, for all you Hearties to read and hopefully enjoy over the hiatus. Fluff, angst, adventure. I'm not sure if all one-shots will have the same rating, but I will state it at the beginning of each one-shot. Chapter 8 is up.
1. Chapter 1: Day or Night

Day or Night

by Cel140

 _ **My first one-shot of many dedicated to our beloved Constabeth/Jackabeth :D**_

 **Category: Canon divergence**

 **Rated: K**

 **Setting: a little while after _1x0_ _7_**

" _Knock on my door day or night_."

Jack's words rang through Elizabeth's head, and she just couldn't fall asleep. She hadn't been able to anyway. The way Jack had taken her trembling hands in his warm and protective ones, the way such a reserved man had made himself so open to her-

She felt guilty to wake him at this time of night for such a trivial matter as her not being able to fall asleep, but he had said that even if she had the smallest of cares that she could still count on him.

And so Elizabeth slipped out of bed to get dressed. She put on a simple gown that she could get into easily enough and wrapped herself in her warmest of shawls. She took her latched boots, but she didn't think of her hair, preffering to leave it cascading over her shoulders in soft waves. She felt so much freer and comfortable when she didn't have to bother with all the fancy hairpins, silky hair ties, or curling irons for that matter. She just wanted to be herself, even if it was just for tonight.

Satisfied, Elizabeth took the lantern off her night-table and exited Abigail's house as quietly as possible. As she expected, there were barely any people around. A few were still in the saloon, but they were mostly just the staff cleaning up the tables and dragging out the last of the stubborn and sometimes even drunk customers. It always unnerved her a little when they would try to resist, but at least there were never any serious brawls over it. She prayed there never would

For the rest Coal Valley was eerily quiet, and had she been a good deal younger, Elizabeth might've felt intimidated and leave her visit to Jack for another day while the sun was still out.

The darkness, however, no longer frightened her. She felt entranced by the eyes of the people in heaven looking down on Earth in the form of twinkling stars, the general peaceful atmosphere.

But she still wanted company. She still wanted someone to share this beauty and tranquility with, to take comfort in them, and to finally relax herself.

She knew Jack would do it for her. He'd promised with so much fervor that he would.

Elizabeth arrived at the jail quite quickly, but now that she was here about to likely awake Jack from a deep sleep, she felt guilty. Her fist hovered uncertainly over the door, too undecided to take a definite course of action. Maybe it was better to return home and hope this little walk would've relaxed her enough. It certainly cleared her thoughts, perhaps it would help her fall asleep.

But on the other hand, it was a long cold walk back to Abigail's home. Jack was sure to have the closed fireplace going.

Elizabeth let out an exasperated puff of air and watched as it visibly condensed in the cold air.

Just one knock. Then, if he didn't answer, she would go home.

Before she gave her mind a say, she'd wrapped her knuckles softly but loudly against the door. Then she moved back a little and waited.

Silence met her untimely call, and such a profound silence it was that Elizabeth wondered if he was even in there at all. She walked across the jail's porch to see if any of the lights from inside shone through the window, but it was really unnecessary.

A patter of feet was heard across the floor boards, and then Elizabeth heard the sharp sound the door being unbolted. It swung back only a little on its hinges but the abrupt sound made Elizabeth turn just in time to see Jack's face peek out through the crack.

"Elizabeth," He said, his tone full of pleasant surprise, "What-"

"I couldn't sleep."

The words were out of her mouth before she could invent an excuse, and she inwardly kicked herself. Never in all her life had she sounded so pitiful, so small, as if she was just a dependent little five-year-old all over again. If only she could take her words and put them back inside her mouth.

But Jack, as he often did, surprised her. His look wasn't condemning or even pitying, it was understanding and comforting.

"Come," He said softly, pushing the door open a little more so that she could step inside, "I couldn't either."

Relief and warmth washed over her all at once upon stepping inside, and as she did she quickly noted Jack's informal clothing. He was wearing the grey cotton shirt that was part of his long johns. It was buttoned, but its low cut exposed the strong curve of his collar bone. He looked so comfortable in his faded brown trousers and casual boots that for a moment Elizabeth felt guilty that she'd disturbed probably one of the few evenings where he could finally sit down and relax without a care in his industrious mind.

He, however, removed her worries by closing the door behind her and stretching out his arm towards one of the chairs in his small office.

Elizabeth gratefully took it, for it was placed right next to the fireplace. She eased into it and watched with interest as Jack closed a folder on his desk. She couldn't say for sure, but she thought she'd seen a glimpse of a pencil drawn landscape. It had looked quite complex.

"Do you want a blanket?" He asked abruptly as he stored the folder into a drawer of his desk, "It's a bit chilly."

Elizabeth tore her eyes away from the drawer and down shyly at the floor before giving a slight nod of her head. He walked across the room in large steps to quickly retrieve one from a wardrobe in the corner. She expected him to simply hand it to her, but Jack took it upon himself to unfold it and wrap her up.

His hands pushed the fabric over her shoulders and so close they were to her that Elizabeth had to simply reach up to clasp them. The craving was strong and yet something in her prevented her from doing so. Instead, she buried her hands deep inside the blanket to compensate for the missed opportunity to feel his warm palms against hers.

"Thank you."

Jack somehow knew she wasn't thanking him for giving her the blanket, "What do you mean?"

"For being here for me, even after everything that's happened."

And now, Jack realized _everything_ was her general term for the ordeal with Billy Hamilton. But she really didn't have to thank him. His duty as the Constable of Coal Valley at the very least wouldn't have allowed Billy to take advantage of her. There was, of course, a far stronger motivation. He had masked it as concern, and though he will admit he was concerned, he had been jealous too.

Terribly jealous.

He'd experienced the nagging twinge in his early years when his childhood sweetheart would've gone off to chat and twirl her hair at one of the other boys, but those tinglings were nothing compared to the sharp pangs he'd felt seeing Elizabeth with Billy.

Every look they shared had been like a stab to his heart, every kiss that unworthy skunk had pressed into her delicate hand had made his blood boil. Seeing them together had been unbearable, but being at odds with Elizabeth had been unthinkable.  
"You don't have to thank me," He assured her, "It was the least I could do."  
Jack proceeded to pull out a chair and he settled down a little ways from her, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.  
"Is that why you couldn't sleep? Because of the _skunk_?"  
Elizabeth let out an amused exhale through her nose and smiled faintly at the very accurate characterization of the con-artist. He beamed at her, proud that his words had brought some joy back into her tired and saddened features.

"Yes," Elizabeth sighed, a thoughtful smile crossing her lips, "The skunk."

Jack sighed too and chuckled.

"And you?" She attempted to be humorous, "Art project?"

He looked suddenly very serious and she wished, for the second time today, that she could put those stupid words back inside her mouth.

"Actually," He replied, a little stiffly, "It relaxes me."

Elizabeth was surprised and embarrassed all at once. Her cheeks flushed pink, and her lips separated. She knew Jack had a respect for art and artists, but she could've never imagined that the same hands that handled ruffians would be capable of such beauty she'd been given only a small glimpse of.

"I'm sorry," She apologized, her tone considerably humbled and faintly hopeful, "I don't suppose you would let me have a peek?"

Jack immobilized her with his spell-binding gaze for a moment, and in the dark earthy blue depths she saw a warmth begin to stirr. Elizabeth could swear she'd never seen it before, and the effect it had on her was ethereal. She no longer felt stupid for what she'd said, or even for coming here. His forgiving eyes were all the reassurance she needed to know they were alright again and that he was more than glad to share his album with her.

Holding his index finger up just long enough to make her understand that she was to wait, Jack rose out of his chair. Strolling across the room towards his desk, he opened the mysterious drawer and took the album out. Elizabeth's anticipation grew as he leafed through the pages, looking for something that she couldn't quite see. He didn't seem to have found it for he let out a small grunt of exasperation but sat down all the same.

"I was going to give you a recent one," He explained, leaning back a bit, "After class tomorrow. I was going to tell you that someone gave it to me and that the artist was anonymous, but I guess I've always wanted you to find out."

Jack flipped the album open to the fourth page, and Elizabeth gasped at the beauty of the landscape she was shown. It was mesmerizing how realistic it was!

The subject of the drawing was the magnificent view of towering mountains standing black against a bright horizon. The rising sun glowed just above and a circular ray of sunlight that Elizabeth had only ever seen caught on camera shone down so perfectly that her only explanation for its startlingly realistic appearance was that Jack had somehow trapped the light inside the paper. From one of the snow capped mountains came rushing a small stream that grew ever wider as it sped downwards till it grew into a river and then into a large and profound lake. She stared disbelievingly as she took it all in and completely forgot about what Jack had said earlier, that is, until he pointed out a spot in the corner of the page. Cleverly placed in between the grass Elizabeth saw, written in Jack's artistic cursive, the initials J. T.

"Oh, Jack," She breathed, her eyes flitting up to his, "It's _amazing_!"

A dimpled smile flickered across Jack's face as he shyly dipped his head, "It's just an old hobby of mine."

Elizabeth raised her brows, reprimanding him for his modesty and admiring him for it all at once.

"How long have you been doing it?" She asked, feeling very tempted to flip the page so that she could see more.

"Uhm, well, as I recall," His gaze strayed to the upper right corner of his eyes, thinking back a bit, "Eversince I was twelve."

"Twelve?" She repeated. She couldn't help but adopt a disbelieving tone. Although it had been a decade and four years since Jack had been that age, Elizabeth could barely believe that a person could learn how to draw this realistically even then. She had met artists thrice Jack's age who had been practicing their trade all their life, and still many of their depictions hadn't looked half as magnificent as this.

"Yes," He confirmed, "My mother had a great love and respect for art. She wasn't an artist herself, but she did teach it to her students. Her eye for technique and symmetry was very impressive. She taught me, and for some time I considered actually becoming an artist-"

Jack trailed off, and a sad look glinted in his eye.

"Jack?" Elizabeth asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"My father was a Mountie, Elizabeth. I felt torn between following in his footsteps and following my own dreams. That is, until my mother passed away."  
Elizabeth let out a soft, sympathetic sigh.  
"It was from a broken heart. I took it as a sign that I was to become a servant to those around me, to help those in trouble, to comfort the broken hearted."  
"And there's nothing more noble." Elizabeth whispered wholeheartedly.  
He swallowed hard and shut his art album. Something like a protective wall flickered in his eyes, building up and trying to strengthen the barriers he'd built around himself when he'd first come to Coal Valley. Elizabeth wasn't sure exactly what he was trying to block out, but when he rose to his feet and was about to walk away, Elizabeth knew that he had begun to slip away from her again.  
Catching his forearm, she called out his name in a quivery tone.

"Jack, what's wrong?" She asked, shining blue orbs staring up at him, "Was it something I said?"

Her eyes were so sad. They begged him not to be upset, begged him to say something, begged him to confirm that she hadn't hurt him and that it wasn't her fault the ice was beginning to form around him again, blocking her out.

Jack couldn't take it. How could he do this to her! How could he rebuild his barriers when he himself had said that life was too short to hold onto petty grievances? How could he deny the truth of his reason for becoming a Mountie when she'd left her own life like an open book to him?

He couldn't with hold any longer. Whatever it was that was preventing him from being completely honest and open had to be removed at once. No more half-truths.

"It's not your fault, Elizabeth," He sighed, submitting to the light tug of her hand on his arm and taking his seat, "But my mother's passing was only part of the reason I left a possible artist's career to become what I am today."

Elizabeth bit her lip expectantly. Her wide eyes were dazzling in the candlelight, so big and beautiful and hopeful. She badly wanted to know, he could see it too well.

"Remember what I said about Mounties not marrying?"

Elizabeth's brow crinkled softly, not quite understanding what that topic had to do with his becoming a Mountie-unless he wanted to be a bachelor all his life-but still she nodded.

"As I saw my mother slowly slip away after my father's passing, I could barely contain this overwhelming sense of grief. I was so consumed by it, I could barely think straight anymore-"

He swallowed hard, for he was now feeling all the more vulnerable. He wanted to stop, to ask Elizabeth to forget everything he'd said, but it was too late for that now. He had to tell someone.

"And when the time came for me to make a choice, I didn't send my request to enter into the Academy because of my own grief. It was because of my mother's. After seeing, even just for a short time before our uncle took us in, the pain she went through-I never wanted to put anyone through the same pain. I never wanted to open myself up, for-" He shuddered ever so slightly, "Fear. Fear that I would find someone who really cared for me. Someone who might just love me. Someone whose heart I might break, just as my father's passing broke my mother's."  
"That's why you said Mounties never marry," Elizabeth whispered, her tone grieved as the realization dawned on her, "You weren't saying it because you thought a woman might not be physically strong enough, you were worried her heart wouldn't be."  
Jack nodded.

He had told her as much before, but she'd always figured it was because he thought women were simply too weak or too delicate to be constantly moving around. She felt suddenly very stupid for having thought so little of him. His respect for each of the women in Coal Valley was clear to see. She'd seen him prove it over and over again. When all the widows in Coal Valley had attempted to go into the mine to accomplish something seemingly impossible he had tried to stop them all, not for of their gender or their supposed weakness, but because he was concerned for each and every one of them. When he'd seen that they would not be swayed, he supported them wholeheartedly.

When Rosaline had gone missing Jack hadn't said it aloud, but when he'd beamed at Elizabeth upon finding the little one, that action proved that he couldn't have been more proud of the widows and of her for their persistance and bravery.

Elizabeth drew in a deep breath, but when she tried to speak again she found that she couldn't think of any way to respond. She wanted to give him a great word of wisdom that would bring him comfort, or maybe an encouraging statement to make him understand that he wasn't alone and that she understood, but nothing would come out. How could one reply to such a confession?

"Jack-" She finally uttered to break the seemingly immense silence, but he interrupted her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have burdened you with my troubles, it's probably not what you needed to hear."

Elizabeth felt the urge to contradict him, but she just couldn't put to words what she was feeling on the inside. She sat tongue-tied for a moment, watching the firelight dance along the creased lines of his brows as he looked away. The words she wanted to say weighed on the tip of her tongue like lead, too hard and heavy to articulate.  
She tried over and over again, but the longer she didn't speak, the harder it became to voice her thoughts. Finally, she could take the silence no more. She knew that she might embarrass herself or say something stupid, but if there was even the slimmest chance that what she forced out of her lips was going to comfort him, she would gladly take the risk.

"Jack," She said, not too loudly but clearly enough not to give her any room to hold her tongue, "There is no need to apologize for opening up."

He shook his head softly, as if to say it still wasn't something he wanted to trouble her with. His lips tightened ever so slightly, making her heart sink. She couldn't just leave, even if he was trying to dismiss the whole conversation. She had to speak, or else she would never have any peace of mind.

"You have every right to express your feelings," She continued, "They shouldn't be kept bottled up, because that just makes us miserable."

Jack sighed slightly.

"I've never told anyone," He admitted, "Everyone thinks it is solely because I'm following in my father's footsteps, but they have no idea what really happened."

His voice became strained with emotion near the end and he clenched his jaw to will the pain away. Elizabeth could barely believe Jack had only ever shared this with her. She expected him to have told his brother, a close friend, or a relative? He probably had plenty of them, and yet he chose to tell her; the rich girl from Hamilton who just happened to cross paths with him. The one who'd insulted and glared at him, the one who wouldn't listen when he was trying to protect her from a gold-digging scum.

"Why didn't you tell anyone else?" She inquired softly, trying to wrap her head around it, "Why me?"

"I didn't think-well, actually, I knew they wouldn't know what it felt like for me. They care about me, but in the end none of them would be able to understand."

Jack tossed a little twig into the fire to emphasize his point and Elizabeth watched as the flames lept momentarily, sending off tiny sparks. Her heart quickened ever so slightly, for although he had not answered her question, the possibility that they might be thinking the same thing set off a little spark in her; the kind that grows stronger every moment and kindles a flame of hope in one's heart.

He hesitated a moment before meeting her gaze, and if she had expected it to be meek or withdrawn, she was taken by surprise. They were strikingly calm, determined, and portrayed his emotions far better than she could attempt to explain with feeble words. Fortunately for her, she didn't have to.

"I know it seems crazy," He continued, picking up his previous line of thought, "But you're the only person I've ever felt comfortable talking to about this. You're, well-easy to trust."

Elizabeth was shocked by the heartfelt compliment. Her sapphire eyes widened ever so slightly and for a moment Jack knew for certain that the tiny shadows on the corners of her mouth were actually the beginnings of a touched smile.

"That's kind of you to say," She whispered.

"It's the truth."

It was stated so simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The crinkles along his brows faded away slowly and were replaced by the fine lines of his dimples. He chuckled softly to her elated surprise and the lines deepened into a charming full-blown grin.

"How ironic," He sighed, "You came here to relax and I'm keeping you up."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest reassuringly, but what came out instead was a soft little yawn. She gaped and futilely covered her lips, horrified.

"I'm sorry," She quickly apologized behind her slender hand, "I didn't mean to, I-"

"It's alright. At least I succeeded in boring you to sleep."

Elizabeth thought he was serious and was beginning to panic a little, but when she noticed his eyes her shoulders sunk in relief. Twinkling with mirth they were, and so much so that it made Jack look like a schoolboy again, full of mischief and humor and mystery. Elizabeth couldn't keep in the laughter bubbling in her throat and let out a breathy giggle.

"Thank you Jack," She said, a smile still teasing her lips but meaning every word.

"For almost putting you to sleep?"

She slapped his arm playfully, "You know what I mean."

He smirked a little, and she sunk back in her chair. The comforting warmth of his presence right beside her, the monotonous crackling of the fire, and the peace of mind she'd achieved by coming here caused her eyelids to begin slipping shut, but she forced herself to sit up and open them. As tempting as it was, she needed to get back to her own bed.

"I should go," She stated a little louder than before, more to stop herself from changing her mind than to get his attention.

Jack looked a little disappointed, but he resigned himself to her wishes. Elizabeth stood and unwrapped herself from the blanket, shivering softly as it fell from her shoulders onto the chair. He knew it would be best not to walk her home as Abigail was sleeping, so he stood up to wish her goodnight on her way out.

The firelight no longer illuminated their faces as the walked towards the entrance, but Jack spotted Elizabeth's soft smile when he opened the door for her.

"Goodnight."

"You as well."

She looked flustered for a moment and then quickly bowed her head and turned away. She made the first step down the jail's porch but just as Jack was reaching to close the door behind her, she swirled round and called his name.

Chilly night air seeped through Jack's shirt, but the warmth of her smile in the moonlight made him numb to the cold.

"I'm glad you confided in me."

A small grin separated his lips and he nodded. Upon this acknowledgement, Elizabeth turned once more and walked off into the shadowy night.

Jack stayed a moment longer on the doorstep before closing it and making his way back inside. The warmth in his chest from seeing her grateful smile remained there, and the weight of his mother's grief seemed to have lifted and blown away like chaff on the wind, leaving him feeling so light and relaxed. Like he'd finally let go of the past and had his eyes set on what the future may bring him, not on what the past had brought to his father. It was so liberating, he could barely believe it was possible.

But it was.

With the toothy smile still curling his lips upwards, Jack stepped away from the door and laid down in his bed. No sooner had his head hit the pillow he was whisked away into a strangely familiar world in which a beaming brunette angel, an ethereal creature, was actually _anticipating_ to come to him and to simply sit by him. Whether they were silent or held a conversation, she enjoyed every minute. Whether laughed about good times or were somber, she was content.

Rain or shine.

Day or night.

 _ **Yayy! I'm so happy I finished this! I hope you all enjoyed all this fluff and that you will leave me a fave, and\or follow and comment to let me know what you think!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Rainy Days

**Rainy Days**

by Cel140

 _ **My second one-shot of many dedicated to our beloved Constabeth/Jackabeth :D**_

 **Rating: K**

 **Category: AU**

 **Setting: a little while after 1x02**

It was a rainy afternoon in Coal Valley, just as it had been the last week. The sky was almost always covered with menacing grey clouds, and in untimely intervals they would shower down buckets of water. The few in town who didn't have a decent roof over their heads would have to resort to racing to and fro to keep the leekages from making puddles everywhere.

Such was the luck of Jack Thornton, the new Constable of Coal Valley. He was being boarded in one of the hotel rooms above the saloon until more permament housing could be arranged, and being on the first floor it was the place where water would leak in from just about everywhere. He had to put everything he had laying about to gather the rain-his extra pair of boots, a brandy bottle left by the room's previous owner, an empty flower vase, the basin for washing one's face-

And yet it just wasn't enough to cover all the leekages. He knew he would have to go down to the saloon to ask whoever was around for some spare containers, pots, pans-anything to keep the water outside where it belonged.

Making a complaint was always an option, but Jack wasn't one to do so if he could fix a problem himself, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Trying his very best to keep his room dry at least until he returned, Jack proceeded to make his way down the stairs. He passed by several other customers, both of the hotel and the saloon, and he greeted them all in a genuinely friendly manner.

He stepped out into the saloon, and as he did he couldn't help but notice that Miss That-no, Elizabeth-was here. None of her students were present, so Jack guessed they must've left a long while ago.

The new teacher sat at a table in the corner, looking fairly bored as she alternated between glancing down at something on the table he couldn't see and one of the curtainless windows.

It might be taking advantage of the fact that she had not yet noted his presence, but he couldn't help admiring her. Her velvety brown curls were pulled away from her face in a loose updo, save the honey coloured tendrils that framed her face. She wore a simple gown that looked both sensible and becoming, and the shawl that had settled on the crooks of her elbows was a pretty shade of baby blue.

She was likely grading her student's tests, judging from the way her brows knitted in concentration, or was waiting for the rain to let up a bit. With this observation, he pulled his gaze away from her and made his way between the tables to the bar tender.

"Excuse me sir, there's a bad leekage in room 23."

had to only look up once to communicate his irritation to Jack. Apparently many other people had complained to him about it.

"What of it?"

"Nothing," He assured, smiling corteously but still a bit tightly at Tom's frustrated tone, "I only wanted to ask if you had any empty containers, just something temporary until I can fix it."

The bartender seemed surprised. He didn't know much about the new Constable, but he was glad Mr. Thornton was a man who took action.

"How many?" He asked, his tone suddenly cheery and helpful.

Jack chuckled, "As many as you have to offer."

Mr. Trevoy stuck his index finger up, "I'll see what I can do Constable. Perhaps a drink on the house to keep you occupied?"

Jack accepted without hesitation, not simply because he wouldn't refuse the offer, but also because he really needed something to warm him up right now. The bartender placed a tall glass of whiskey on the counter and then disappeared through a back door that no doubt led to the cellar.

As Jack took the first swig from his glass he found himself glancing, for no particular reason, in Elizabeth's direction. He could've never expected her to lift her eyes away from her paper at the same time. Their gazes locked, and Jack felt strangely guilty that he'd been caught. He did, however, have the presence of mind to offer her a small smile. She returned it and then raised her brows softly, as if she expected him to look away. He knew it was impolite to stare but he really couldn't help it-her gaze was really quite mesmerizing.

Jack quickly realized his only option to avoid making things worse would be to extend his show of interest by walking up to her. There's nothing wrong with exchanging glances with someone you know and then going up to talk to them. Elizabeth didn't look like she was expecting someone, in fact, it looked as though she wanted somebody to distract her from her duties. Still feeling uncharacteristically nervous however, Jack moved away from the saloon's counter and strolled as casually as he could towards her table.

Her pretty arched brows were still raised, but this time they were raised in surprise.

"Good afternoon, Jack," She said pleasantly, "I thought you were out of town, I rarely see you these days."

Jack wanted to say that he'd been busy, which was true, but her crystal azure eyes had him temporarily speechless. He felt a hot wave of embarrassment creeping up his spine, but eventually he spluttered that he'd been quite taken up with paperwork.

"Oh, I see. Well, I guess we both could really use a break right now."

She froze for a moment when he caught her gaze inquiringly, and then started to back-track.

"I mean, it would be good if you had some free time to spare. With me. Here." She spoke these words haltingly, and then added as an afterthought, "If you don't mind the company."

Her cheeks flamed as red as his serge and Jack almost wanted to laugh at how endearingly awkwardly these words had come out of her mouth. He wondered what it was that made her so embarrassed when just a few seconds ago she'd been the picture of elegant calmness.

"Not at all," He assured her, a bit more confidently than he had before, "I've got time."

Elizabeth let out a relieved exhale and pointed to the chair opposite her, hoping that she didn't look too eager. Jack shook his head softly in bewilderment and eased into the seat offered to him, setting the glass of alcohol on the table.

"So, what are those?" The Constable asked, pointing at the papers in Elizabeth's hand.

"Oh, just a few papers to grade. I'm almost done."

She shrugged casually and used this excuse to lower her head and thus escape Jack's brown-blue gaze, but she only found herself looking up again. There was something magnetic in those eyes, something mysterious, that made it impossible for Elizabeth to resist sparing a few glances.

Perhaps she thought that by looking into his orbs that she'd find answers about the frustratingly reserved Mountie.

"Hard at work I see," He replied, bemused for no apparent reason, "And the children have behaved themselves?"

"Yes, of course. They've all been wonderful."

She glanced briefly out of the window, and the action led Jack to ask another question.

"Are you expecting someone?"

She turned sharply to him, her lips slightly separated. It seemed as though something that might seem a bit awkward or embarrassing had just been on the tip of her tongue for her cheeks once more turned a rosy color. She, however, must've decided not to say it for she only shook her head dismissively.

"No, I am not. I'm just waiting for the rain to let up."

Jack acknowledged this information with an _ah_ and took a swig from his drink. Elizabeth watched as he swallowed and felt something like butterflies in her stomach when he licked away the whiskey foam. His gaze strayed away obliviously and he nibbled his lower lip.

"I've finished," She announced abruptly, tearing her eyes away from his pearly teeth and curved mouth, "I should probably leave, Abigail will have supper ready soon."

"I think it would be best to go now then, you probably won't have a better break than this in this weather."

Elizabeth quickly noticed he was right. The wind wasn't blowing as hard anymore, and although the rain still fell, it didn't fall in buckets as it had before.

There was just one problem.

"I don't have an umbrella."

The words were out faster than Elizabeth could stop them, and she felt so embarrassed to bother him with such a trivial problem. He looked up straight into her eyes with no traceable emotion, leaving her to stare back blankly into his penetrating gaze. She dared not imagine what kind of condescending thoughts were running through his mind right now.

 _Spoil_ _ed_ _princess; can't even cross the road because she's afraid of getting her perfect white boots dirty in the mud._

But Jack surprised her. At first only the fine lines of his dimples began to appear, but eventually they deepened into a full-blown toothy grin. A light, musical laugh escaped his lips and the scrutiny in his eyes was replaced with an amused liveliness.

"Would you like to use mine?"

The question was stated so simply and amiably, it was like he couldn't believe she had looked so worried about his answer. She felt so unexplainably proud that she'd earned her second true smile out of him that she didn't even bother repressing a grin of her own.

"Yes," She beamed, "Please."

That was all the prompting he needed. Standing to his feet, Jack placed his own emptied drink on the table and lifted his finger to indicate he would be back in a moment. When his back was turned, Elizabeth allowed herself to touch her warm cheeks and felt what seemed to be a ton of pressure just lift off her shoulders like that. How he had put her at ease with just six little words was something she just couldn't wrap her head around. It wasn't just that she thought she would be bothering him, but she had also feared she may have been presuming on their only recent frien-acquaintance, and yet he'd been perfectly fine with it.

She was still shaking her head slightly in disbelief when Jack returned with the umbrella.

"It's small," He informed her, drawing her eyes away from the table and up to him.

Elizabeth raised her hands reassuringly, "Thank you, it's just fine. I promise I'll return it as soon as possible."

Jack looked like he wanted to say something, but her soft promising smile effectively closed his mouth. Nodding once, he offered the curved handle to her and she rested it on the crook of her arm.

"Thank you," She blurted, and then blushed softly when she realized she had just echoed.

Jack obviously noticed it but, quite against his seeming nature, he chose not to embarrass or tease her about it. In fact, he looked quite pleased with himself for earning two 'thank you's from her in one day.

"You're welcome."

Feeling suddenly quite flustered, Elizabeth gave him a genuine but embarrassed smile and hurried out of the saloon and down the porch steps before she could make an even bigger fool of her herself. She held her skirts up as she dashed across the street, and from there marched down the sidewalk as fast as her long strides could take her. Presently she arrived at the house, and no sooner had Abigail ushered her in that mother nature decided to pour down more water than Elizabeth believed possible. She almost chuckled to herself at Jack's excellent sense of timing and inwardly thanked him for it as she and Abigail drank their camomille and mint teas.

 **-A WEEK LATER-**

It was a rainy day, yet again, when Elizabeth awoke on Monday morning and remembered that she would probably have to walk to the schoolhouse in the rain. She'd broken Abigail's one yesterday, much to her own horror, when a terrible gust of wind cracked one of the umbrella's ribs. Abigail had graciously braved the weather today to buy one at the mercantile while Elizabeth ate her breakfast, but the young schoolteacher just didn't have the luxury of waiting her return when school would start in a matter of minutes.

She did not look forward to being up in front of the whole class, though they were mostly all good children and probably would keep their comments to themselves, and be dripping from head to toe.

But there was really nothing for it.

Groaning inwardly, Elizabeth relished her last sip of mint tea before she bundled up in her fuzzy white mittens, matching scarf, and cream button-up coat. She took in a deep steadying breath and prepared herself for the pouring rain.

And yet just as she threw the door open, a stick-like object that had been resting against the entrance fell with a thud onto Abigail's porch.

Elizabeth stooped down to pick up what she quickly realized, much to her glee, was an umbrella. She looked at it with great curiosity, for it seemed quite familiar to her, but it wasn't until she noticed a paper tag attached to the shaft that she realized whose it was.

On the tag was written a written in artistic, swirled letters that somehow still exuded a manly confidence and strength:

 _'Hold onto it._ _Can't have you catching cold._ '

Elizabeth let out a subconscious giggle and unhitched the umbrella's spring to open it, and though she stepped out from under the safety of her friend's porch into pouring rain that streamed in rivulets down any uncovered surfaces and formed puddles in every small ditch, she was dry and beaming.

She couldn't know for certain, but she felt as though this was just the beginning of what may blossom into a wonderful friendship between her and that annoyingly handsome Mountie.

 _ **And that's done! I hope you enjoyed this one, and hopefully you will leave me a comment, fave, and\or follow. I really appreciate any kind words or constructive criticism, maybe even a suggestion for the next one-shot? Please let me know ;)**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Dance

The Dance

by Cel140

 _ **First of all, I want to thank everyone's lovely comments and all the faves and follows so far, it means a lot to me! Now, I really wondered what would've happened had Jack would've told Elizabeth about his new post during their first date. I realize it probably isn't the best course of action, but I really wanted to try it out. It feels like in the episode that Elizabeth marched off before Jack even had the chance to explain, so this is me having Constabeth trying to fix their problems together instead of consulting someone else or only getting spurred into action when another individual gives them indirect words of wisdom. Anyway, enough explaining, let's jump right in!**_

 **Category: Canon divergence**

 **Setting: Jack and Elizabeth's first date in _1x09_**

 **Rating: K**

She hadn't intended to get up, but she just couldn't say no when he stood to his feet and offered her his hand. The bottom of his eyes were lit up in the candlelight like the crystal clear blue of a cloudless sky blended up into the dark blue that covers the heavens just before the storm hits-only this deep blue was calm and loving, filled with all the hopefulness of a man who was falling hard. Elizabeth distantly heard the cranking of the phonograph and the soft hum of the needle scratching the disk.

Then, almost the second she took his hand, a soft piano and cello tune began playing together to make up the most beautiful composition she'd ever heard. It was so light, so gentle, it fit the atmosphere so well. She sighed softly as he placed his hand securely around her waist while his other stretched out to connect with hers. It took only a moment for them to begin dancing. The candlelight flickered across his face as they slowly swayed in step with the music, touching his cheeks and accentuating his dimples when he smiled softly at her.

"I have to admit," She whispered, afraid if she spoke any louder that she would spoil this heavenly moment, "I could've never picked you for such a romantic."

"I had help." He replied modestly. They turned slowly to round the table, but Jack didn't seem the least bit worried that they might accidently bump into it. He was confident in every step, and moved so fluidly that Elizabeth had a small doubt in her mind whether this was the same man who would handle troublemakers and bad guys with such a merciless roughness.

He must've had practice, and she couldn't help but ask.

"So you don't normally woo your other women like this?"

He breathed a short and amused exhale through his nose, "I didn't really have the opportunity to _woo_ many women."

Elizabeth giggled bashfully and ducked her head to hide her blushing cheeks. One more stupid question, she told herself, and the evening would be effectively ruined.

"You must think me naive."

"No."

She looked up into his eyes, and though it was hard to see them because of the shadows, she could tell he wasn't judging her in any way.

"Sadly, it's true. The life of a Mountie doesn't really leave much time for-" He trailed off, searching for the right word, "Courting."

He gave an affirmative nod when he acknowledged it was the proper word, and she let out a soft _oh_ when the full realization of his statement hit her _._ How lonely a life like his must be without someone beside him, without a special someone he would actually consider marrying.

"I feel somewhat lacking in the area of romance."

Elizabeth glanced around her at the aromatic candles, the pretty curtains she knew weren't here before, the lamps hanging from the ceiling that made this little room all the more inviting and beautiful. She almost felt like contradicting him, but she bit her tongue when he continued.

"I feel that my efforts tonight pale in comparison to the legions of suitors you have at home."

She was giggling the second the words _legions of suitors_ had left his lips. Although she'd had a few suitors here and there, none of them had really meant that much to her in the end. They had all cared about her face, her money, and those who cared about her as a person had unfortunately never stayed for long. Every one of them had come and gone.

Except Jack.

"Legions? Far from it, perhaps."

He let out something like a relieved sigh and admitted, "Then I feel really lucky."

Elizabeth felt speechless when she looked up into his eyes. They were so adoring and gentle, but if it's true that the eyes are a mirror of the soul, he was feeling other emotions too. There was a certain sobriety in them, something she couldn't place as sadness or some form of realization that good things never last. She wished she could reach up and touch his cheek, but the sound of his voice startled her out of the action.

"Elizabeth, I-"

Jack stopped midway and she noticed how he stiffened, as if afraid to continue. He called her name again, but when he said nothing more, Elizabeth interrupted him by stilling their movement.

"You dance beautifully."

She meant it with all her heart. He stared right at her for a spell-binding moment before grinning shyly at the compliment.

"Thank you."

Stepping forward ever so slightly, he got her to follow his lead once more.

"I'm glad you asked me out to dinner."

"Me too."

There was a moment where they caught one anothers gaze, and they were so transfixed that they forgot all about dancing. The flickering candlelight, the fresh scent of each other's cologne and perfume, the thrumming anticipation running through the both of them and tingling in their fingers-it was all too overwhelming. Jack's heart was pounding in his chest and emotions like he'd never felt before were crashing over him, but he just couldn't let these feelings cloud his judgement. He knew he had to tell her. It would break her heart and shatter his into tiny shards, but it had to be said. He had to tell her before she heard it from someone else's lips.

"Do you remember," He whispered, breaking the silence, "When I first came here, that I was unhappy with my post?"

She nodded faintly. On any other occasion she might've laughed and corrected him saying that he'd been furious, but the grave look on Jack's face left her breathless and a little frightened with what may come next from his lips.

"I couldn't see my purpose of being here; I was so caught up in trying to get back my original post."

A wave of relief washed over her frame, and so strong it was that Elizabeth dared to smile with the prospect that her theory may be correct.

"Are you saying that's changed?" She asked, her lips quivering with hopefulness, "Have you found a _new_ purpose?"

Jack couldn't stand the anticipation in her doe-eyes, knowing he could only let her down, knowing there was only one way this conversation could end. He couldn't take back his words, no matter how much he wished it in this terrible moment in which everything he had grown to care so deeply about was hanging on a thread, just about to snap.

"Elizabeth, my wish has been granted."

Elizabeth staggered backwards like she'd been hit, releasing her hold on his arms. Her eyes were disbelieving and her lips trembled with denial.

"You're being reassigned?"

It wasn't true. It couldn't be! After all the promises and unconditional trust, this was the reason why he'd invited her to dinner? After everything that had happened between them, in which world or situation was it _alright_ for him to give her such a low blow?

"That was why you invited me, isn't it?" Elizabeth accused, her tone turning shrill as all the horrible ideas came flooding into her mind, "To lead me on? To distract yourself with some rich girl before you had to leave?"

"No!" He exclaimed, horrified, "I had no idea it was coming, Constable O'Riley gave me the news _after_ I'd asked you to supper."

Elizabeth shook her head brokenly and stepped away, but Jack quickly caught her arm. He was **not** about to let her slip through his fingers.

"I may have hurt you in the past, Elizabeth," He said, so passionately it was impossible for her not to listen, "But you must believe me when I say I'd forgotten _all_ about my request to leave Coal Valley."

Elizabeth stared up at him, her face contorted with emotion. Her mind was all a blurr of anger and fear, but the earnestness in his eyes was the only thing that was clear to her. She was devastated with this news, but she knew by just looking at his face that he was too.

All denunciatory thoughts of Jack using her dissolved in an instant. All the strength in her body that had built up from the heat of her anger just disappeared, leaving her drained and weak.

She clutched the chair behind her to steady her trembling knees, unable to look up at Jack even when he took her arms to support her.

"You know I would never do that to you," He whispered, his tone pleading, "You know that don't you?"

She blinked hard and nodded at the floor, unable to look up for fear he would see the tears streaming down her cheeks. Yet he did.

Gently pushing her diamond chin with his index finger, Jack brought Elizabeth's distraught face up level to his.

"I'm _so_ sorry. If there was any other way, I would do whatever it took to stay."

"I couldn't ask you to do that," She replied, her voice brittle. There was little conviction in her tone, for though she truly wanted to Jack to be happy no matter where he was, this selfish urge to keep him here with her was too strong to push away or to ignore.

"You wouldn't have to. I would stay here, for you."

Elizabeth smiled bittersweetly and quickly swiped her gloved hand over her cheek, "But you can't. This isn't a decision you can make Jack, and I couldn't let you do it even if it was. Your first duty is to your uniform."

Jack swallowed hard. He wanted to tell her that her happiness meant more. He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him and how much he wanted to stay, but the choice between following his duty and being led by his heart was a hard one to make. The path of his duty was wide and reliable. He couldn't go wrong by doing something he'd been _trained_ to do; to go from post to post and to follow orders. To always put his work over all else and to never look back.

The path of his heart, on the other hand, was narrow and winding. He couldn't plan his next move, and he had no map to tell him where he should go next. It was an unknown, dangerous territory, and the chances that he would get hurt were very high.

But for Elizabeth, wasn't it worth the risk?

Drawing in a deep breath, Jack gazed down at her.

"Elizabeth," He whispered.

She felt angry with herself for looking up, but the pull his tone of voice had on her was irresistible. Everytime he called her name in that way, the whole world seemed to slow down and stop. Everything was quiet, everything was still, awaiting the moment when Jack would speak again.

"I know I should think of my duty above all else, but I don't. I just don't Elizabeth, and the reason why is _you_. You're the one who inspires me to enjoy each moment while it lasts. You're the one who makes me understand that there is a reason for every fear and challenge we face. You're the one who pulls me off when I get up on my high horse."

Elizabeth let out a strangled giggle at that and blinked away the mistyness in her eyes.

"But most importantly of all Elizabeth, you are the one whom I couldn't bear to be without. I know what the risk are with my superiors, but I also know that if I were to leave, I could never forgive myself."

Elizabeth expelled a relieved breath, yet still the doubt seeping in just wouldn't give her the peace of mind until it was completely dissolved.

"I can't divert you from your dream."

It was her last attempt, her last barrier. It was the test to truly prove if what he felt for her had a stronger pull than that of his duty.

There was an immense silence in which she stared breathlessly at Jack's conflicted features, analyzing them intently, her hopeful heart still beating for love to rule over all else.

Please, _please_ , don't let me down.

Finally, the heaviness lifted. Jack's face relaxed, and when he looked up to meet her eyes, she was awed by the resoluteness.

With such a potency that shook her to her bones and an earnestness that could only be from telling the pure and bare truth, Jack said the words she would never forget.

"You are my dream, Elizabeth."

That was all it took to shatter whatever barrier that had been between them into shreds. The doubts and fears lifted and blew away completely, leaving them so full of euphoria that they could not hold back anymore. These emotions took over them both too quickly for either of them to realize or stop it. Not that they wanted to anyway.

Leaning in, Jack's lips pursed slightly just before capturing hers in a gentle kiss. She had no words to ever describe it, for now that it was actually happening she couldn't find the strength within her to break away. His lips were so sweet and warm, sending small currents and tinglings throughout her whole body. Every thought running through her head was absorbed in taking in every small detail; his kiss going from gentle, barely a small caress, into a more resolute one. A kiss that could only come from all this restless indecision and confusion and then finally climax into a determined final decision. He communicated everything on his heart far better and far louder than words ever could.

He wasn't going to leave, not now, not ever.

This was where they belonged.

 _ **And that's a wrap! I hope you've enjoyed this little fic and that you'll leave me a comment, fave, and/or follow! Thank you so much again for your support and hopefully I'll see you all in the next update! :D**_


	4. Chapter 4: A Ball to Remember

**A Ball to Remember**

 **by Cel140**

 _ **Thank you again all you amazing Hearties for your lovely reviews and for following and faving, it makes me so happy to know you are enjoying my one-shots so far! One thing, before I explain the setting of this one-shot, I am really struggling right now with describing Jack's eyes. I call them grayish-brown for the lack of a better word, but it's really bugging me that i can't properly describe his fascinating eyes. Any suggestions?**_

 _ **Ok, this is based on a little idea I got awhile back, what if Elizabeth and Jack had happened to meet in Hamilton when Jack had only recently become a Mountie? And what would've happened had Jack's first Mountie Ball coincidentally been the one that Mr. Thatcher was hosting?**_

 **Setting: Mountie Ball**

 **Category: AU**

 **Rating: K**

Elizabeth was not surprised by how well organized the Mountie Ball was. Although just a week ago there was nothing in the building chosen for the event, she knew her father's employees always did phenomenal jobs. The whole ballroom was lighted with an array of chandeliers that shed a warm, enthralling light. The banisters that fenced the long staircase were carpeted with embroidered russet tapestry, and dark green ornamental plants and colorful flowers were placed on either side of the staircase to accent the carpets. Musicians were assemblying in the back of the room, already warming up to play the long and sleek violins, the curved and bulky double bass, and the glossy black piano. The guests were filing in; animated conversations erupted as the ladies flirted with the gentlemen and the Mounties shook hands with their friends from the Academy.

The major domo had already announced the arrival of her parents, in which the guests had cordially applauded their host's entry, but the chatter silenced when Elizabeth and her two sisters appeared at the top of the stairs. There was no need to announce their entrance, every eye in the room was fixed on the three of them in awe and admiration. Elizabeth smiled brightly as she descended the staircase down to the dancing hall, eyes roaming the growing crowds. She was quite mesmerized by the colorful array of red serges among the dark suits and fancy evening gowns. Though only the older and more experienced percentage of the Mounties present were wearing their trademark serges; the bold color and their collection of honorary badges were impressive and attention-grabbing. The younger Constables, on the other hand, wore suits and ties. Elizabeth figured it might be a tradition.

As she desecended the last stair and slipped her gloved hand into the loop of her evening gown, Elizabeth caught something shimmering out of the corner of her eye and glanced quickly to the left to see what it was. She had intended to simply identify what the object was and move on, but when her gaze settled on a strikingly handsome young man fiddling with his glass of wine and speaking with one of the older Mounties, her eyes glued to the spot. He was probably only a few inches taller than her, with neatly side-parted dark hair and bluish-brown eyes that seemed to glisten with a light of their own. She felt like she'd seen him somewhere before, but it was only when he grinned broadly at something humorous his superior had said that she recognized him.

It was that Mountie she'd met in the clothing and jewellry store near the Thatcher Estate, Elizabeth could remember it all vividly now.

She'd gone out to the store a week ago alone to buy a beautiful pair of emerald earrings for Julie. Her younger sister had casually commented about how much she liked them, and so Elizabeth had decided to purchase them. She was going over to the counter to pay for them, as well as a pair of gloves and stockings, when she'd unthinkingly bumped into this very young man. He'd immediately and profusely apologized, though it had not been his fault, and gallantly helped her retrieve the fallen earrings as well as the bag of clothing. He'd blushed furiously at the sight of the stockings, but she'd quickly relieved him of the embarrassment by stuffing the article of clothing in her bag.

She'd introduced herself, and he'd chuckled in a way that she found strangely endearing for a complete stranger, assuring her that she and her family were the talk of Hamilton. Then it was her turn to blush furiously.

" _Constable Jack Thornton_ ," He'd said when she asked his name, inclining his head ever so slightly as he said it.

" _A Mountie_?" She'd asked, quite intrigued, " _But I don't think I've seen you before_."

Elizabeth had seen numerous red serges all over the city, but she'd never come across _him_.

" _I_ _'ve_ _only finished the Academy recently_ ," Jack had explained, " _I'm still awaiting my first assignment_."

They had shared a few pleasantries and then went their separate ways, but he'd left an impression on Elizabeth. He stood out and captured her attentions, something not many other young men had done.

Even now, as she looked at him from afar, she felt something strange fluttering in her stomach. It could be the excitement of the evening, or she feared it may be all of Julie's romantic novels that had had a very bad influence on her.

"Oh, isn't it just wonderful, Elizabeth?" Julie gasped, startling her sister out of her reverie, "We really don't attend balls enough."

Elizabeth's shoulders jumped a little in surprise, but Julie was oblivious to it for she was taken with admiring both the well-dressed guests and the grandeur of the ballroom. She didn't even bother wondering how Julie could be right beside her for so long and only make her presence known when Elizabeth happened to think about her. It was an unnerving trait of hers that Elizabeth had come to accept along with all of Julie's other quirks.

"Have you already forgotten about the ball we hosted just last weekend?" She teased, having regained her composure.

"No, of course not," The youngest Thatcher replied as she guided Elizabeth towards the tables where they served burgundy punch, "What I mean is if we always have our balls at the same place, I can't very well make any acquantainces. Father never adds anyone new to the guest list."

"Oh, stop complaining Julie," Viola admonished from Elizabeth's right, "You're lucky you get to go at all after all the trouble you keep getting yourself into."

Julie opened her mouth quickly to defend herself, but one shake of Elizabeth's head made her reconsider.

"And you're lucky I've decided not to let you ruin my evening." Julie replied nonchalantly and, with a flick of her almost ridiculously elaborate fan, she glided off into the crowd.

Viola sighed in frustration and gave one glance that clearly communicated to Elizabeth that she was to watch Julie like a hawk. Then she turned and walked off in the other direction.

Elizabeth shook her head softly and accepted the punch that was supposed to have been Julie's. She was certain she wouldn't be left alone for long, the dance card in her purse was almost completely full, but she didn't feel as excited now about it as she had before. It was one thing dancing with gentlemen whom you've grown up with and ended up getting used to, but it was quite another to be dancing with a Mountie. To learn of their adventures in the faraway West, to hear of the thrill of frontier life, and to have the opportunity to protect and serve your fellow men and women; it embodied everything Elizabeth's heart called her to do as a teacher. It wouldn't be so horrible if she danced with a Mountie at a _Mountie's_ Ball, and it didn't hurt either that Constable Thornton was quite handsome.

She looked in the direction where he had been standing before, but he was no longer there. The conductor was already raising his baton to inform the guests that the music was to begin.

Elizabeth sighed softly in defeat. Her dance card said she would be dancing the two-step with Charles first, and the rest of the evening would probably be spent dancing with everyone else on it. There was no use getting frustrated over it, however, for Charles was already approaching her now.

"Miss Thatcher," He grinned, "Would you give me the honor of this dance?"

She chuckled at the formality in his tone and inclined her head in acceptance. She took the hand offered to her, and followed as Charles led her out into the center of the ballroom floor. They got into position alongside all the other dancing partners, and the second the music started, the two began. They chatted briefly as they danced, but Elizabeth was oblivious to the adoring looks Charles gave her while she giggled about Julie's infatuation with a certain very exaggeratedly decorated hat.

"She would've bought the ridiculous thing had Viola not talked her out of it."

"Viola?" Charles laughed incredulously.

"Yes, ironic isn't it? I'm not sure how she did it, but Julie went from adoring to abhorring that hat in a matter of minutes!"

They continued to chat about the other incidents of the past week and Elizabeth mistakenly brought up how Charles was doing in his new job working for her Father's company. Mistankenly, because although Elizabeth was proud of how far Charles had come and acknowledged what a hard worker he was, it seemed as though business was distancing him from social events and loved ones. He had grown up, changed, and Elizabeth wasn't sure she liked the change.

"We're going to sign a contract with Mr. McLone from Cape Fullerton next weekend, he says he can supply us with more crates for our shipping ventures."

"But next weekend we are going to have a picnic," Elizabeth protested, "We all have been working very hard to finish it."

What Elizabeth didn't add was that Regina Allen, an uppercrust and terribly stuffy woman whom she'd unfortunately gone to the same private school with, was coming to the event as well. Julie would not attend the picnic since her upcoming deputante ball would take weeks to prepare for, which meant that if Charles didn't show up, no one could save her from Regina's constant rambling about the new fashions and the dukes and lords and earls she'd had the pleasure of meeting. Usually Charles would understand what she didn't say and assure her he would hold Regina off as long as possible, but this time it really seemed as though he'd lost his sixth sense.

"Oh," He remarked, oblivious to Elizabeth's look of dread, "I'm sorry Elizabeth, but I think I will have to pass this one up. I'd love to go, really I would, but this contract isn't something that I can postpone."

Elizabeth's face fell a little but as she started to protest again, Charles tried to placate her with the promise that he would attend Julie's deputante ball.

"You'd better." Elizabeth muttered begrudgingly, to which Charles chuckled good-naturedly. She forced a smile to upturn the corners of her mouth, but the sobering reality of the increasing distance between her friend and herself was something that made the remainder of their dance less enjoyable than she'd hoped for.

Presently the music ended and Elizabeth found herself applauding with the other guests. The next dance was the slow foxtrot with a young gentleman she didn't particularly like and whose request to dance she'd only accepted because she didn't have the heart to be discorteous. He was rather ruddy-faced and not too light on his feet, but Elizabeth did her best to smile and to swish her skirts out of the way of his menacing black shoes.

The dancing continued for the better part of the evening. It was a constant swirl and twirl from one man's arms to another's and too few pauses that it left Elizabeth quite red in the face and a little breathless. While dancing the energetic redowa with a middle-aged gentleman she almost lost it because of the endless spinning and leaping. She felt like she might just faint, but just as the straining violin strings signalled the end of the song and she was making the last leap turn all of a sudden the man she'd been dancing with let go and she found herself colliding into a solid, warm mass on her right. She started a little when she detected two concerned and lightly amused eyes locking with hers. The room began to slow down in its hectic spinning, or maybe it was her head, and when she finally was steady she realized three things all at once. The first and most obvious was that she was chest to chest with a man she'd collided into, a realization which quickly prompted her to step back and self-consciously tuck a stray curl behind her ear. The second was that she recognized the man as Constable Thornton himself and the third, a realization that made her heart flutter strangely, was that it had been he who had interrupted her dance. He looked at her for a few silent moments, perhaps to assess if she was still seeing double, and then straightened himself with one fluid, composed motion. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards slightly.

"Miss Thatcher, may I have this dance?"

Elizabeth's lips separated slightly and she pursed them, trying to form some kind of syllable but wholly incapable. A soft nod of acceptance was all she could make her body do at the moment, and thankfully it was all the confirmation the young constable needed.

Elizabeth took the arm offered to her and once she did he led her away from the corners of the ballroom floor where the press of the other dancing partners had pushed her. She spied the musicians in the corner working any aches out of their fingers and dipped her head shyly as he slipped one hand under her arm and the other to join with her outstretched one. Then the soft, mellow music she immediately recognized as the slow waltz began to play. She leaned her head back a little, arching her back in the way she'd been taught in every dance class she'd attended. In the first spin, Elizabeth's shimmering golden gown spun outwards like a constellation of stars against the formal black of Jack's suit. She was quite glad to discover that he was just as confident in his steps as he was in his composure. He danced smoothly, with very light and quick feet, but masculine all the same. He had a very Mountie-like sense of dominance, but he regarded her with the utmost respect, only gently prompting her to follow in his steps. Elizabeth was surprised at his perfect balance between the need to lead and the awareness of her own importance in the dance. She felt slightly breathless, but it was not the kind she'd felt when she was almost about to faint. It was the good kind of breathlessness, the kind one feels when they're flying in a hot air balloon, free and weightless, hardly aware of the outside world unless they actually try to look at it. Jack's knees bent softly and brushed against hers inbetween the steps. His hand's grasp, though hard to feel through the gloved one, was firm and warm just like it had been when they'd shaken hands in the clothing and jewelry store.

The dance finished in an unfairly short amount of time, but as she and Jack separated and applauded with the rest of the crowd, she was pleased to spy a look of interest gleaming in his warm eyes, the kind that she usually found was enough to spark a conversation. It was certainly one she'd been hoping for eversince she'd met him.

As the guests moved away from the ballroom floor to refresh themselves and to converse with one another, Elizabeth saw that Jack wanted to say something but didn't because he didn't feel it was his place to speak. This ball might be for Mounties but she was his hostess, and unless she struck up a conversation, he might just disappear off into the crowd again. As strange as it sounded, she didn't want this to be the last time they saw each other.

"Thank you, Constable."

His neck turned sharply to face her and his head tilted inquisitively.

"For the dance," She clarified, "I needed one that didn't involve leaping and sprinting across the ballroom."

He chuckled understandingly, "It was my pleasure, Miss Thatcher."

Elizabeth smiled warmly and saw him turn his head again to where he had been looking before. When she followed his gaze, she saw a line of guests exiting the ballroom through the back door and remembered that they had set up a gazebo for those who wanted to go outside for a breath of fresh air-something she really needed right now. Fortunately, the young constable read her mind.

"Would you join me outside on the terrace?"

Elizabeth's face broke into an involuntary smile, and after belatedly hoping that she didn't seem too excited, she agreed. For the second time this evening she rested her hand in the crook of his elbow and walked towards the exit with him.

Elizabeth stopped a moment at the coat hangers near the back door to don her silky white cape and then joined Jack outside. The evening air was deliciously refreshing, but it was not chilly due to the convenient arrangement of the outdoor lounge.

The first thing one noticed when walking outside was a small gravel path placed in between two perfectly edged lawns. Magenta tulips and golden daffodils grew in organized masses on both lawns, and stood out considerably against the glistening evergreen shrubs in the background. The path was not very long, maybe a meter or two, and it led up to a large open gazebo supported on tall wooden pillars. Inside the center of the gazebo was placed a stone fire pit and backless sofas lined the perimeter for guests to sit on while they warmed themselves by the fire. A band of musicians, far fewer than those who had been in the ballroom, played in the corner to provide for some relaxing classical music. Waiters passed to and fro to bring refreshments, and the air was filled with warm laughter and the natural calmness that always accompanies an outdoor fire.

Elizabeth noticed Jack arm relax a little against her palm and couldn't help but smile when she realized he probably liked the peace and quiet better.

"Better than in a stuffy ballroom?"

"Yes." He exhaled unthinkingly.

When he noticed her raise her brows in amusement he immediately bit his lip, realizing suddenly the corner he'd backed himself into.

"Not to say that the ballroom wasn't wonderful," He quickly amended, "It was, but I prefer a quieter atmosphere."

An enquiring tone rested on the last word of his sentence, clearly expressing his doubt that one of the richest women in Hamilton would agree with his viewpoint. Yet to his surprise, her eyes seemed to light up with understanding and a kind of satisfaction that she had presumed correctly.

"I think I can agree with that."

He nodded in relief and motioned for her to sit on one of the free sofas. She slipped a hand against the back of her skirt to avoid wrinkling it and sat down. He sat beside her and smiled lightly when he caught her inquisitive eyes falling on him.

"So," She began, once they were both accomodated, "When we met, you were telling me you hadn't been assigned to your first posting yet. Has that changed?"

"It's funny you should ask that, I've received word this morning that I am to be transferred within the week to Cape Fullerton."

There was an obvious excitement and pride in his tone, and Elizabeth quickly caught on that this post was something he'd been working very hard to get. He looked like he deserved it too, for although she'd never seen him on the job, she could imagine his obvious dedication and charisma had placed him in the front of his class.

"I believe congratulations are in order, then," She replied, a smile in her voice, "Cape Fullerton is a beautiful city, I've gone there multiple times with my Father."

"It is," He concurred, "And there are always more opportunities to serve in a popular port city than some isolated town out west."

"Yes, I suppose so- _oh_ , no thank you."

The last three words were directed to a waiter who came by offering a bright colored cocktail on a platter. Jack shook his head in polite refusal when the platter was offered to him and directed his attentions once more to Elizabeth as the waiter moved on to the next guest.

"I have to keep concentrated on the preparations for my transfer," He explained when was met with her curious look, "There's still so much work to be done before I leave, I honestly didn't expect to come to the ball at all."

"What made you come?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, a Mountie can't exactly miss his first official ball, it's a requirement to attend."

Elizabeth couldn't help a little giggle at the word _requirement_. The way it had come out made it seem like coming here had been quite an inconvenience to his busy schedule.

"So you're not going to have any fun then?"

Jack opened his mouth hesitantly, for initially he'd anticipated that the ball would've been like spying on a suspect, a quick in-and-out; yet now he had to admit he was actually enjoying himself.

"Well I didn't think I would, but actually-I am."

Elizabeth didn't expect a warmth to rush to her cheeks at such a simple admission, but when it did the enchanting firelight glow on the lines and planes of the young constable's face prevented her from dragging her eyes away in embarrassment. He held her gaze for a few moments before a pleasant shiver down her spine broke the spell-binding moment and loosed her tongue.

"So," She said, trying to remember her previous line of thought, "Where do you plan to go after Cape Fullerton?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, correct if I am mistaken, but you seem to be quite an ambitious individual. It feels like Cape Fullerton is only going to be the start; that you will earn yourself a better post and become very successful in your career."

The young constable's listening expression suddenly morphed into one of pleasant surprise and Elizabeth felt, much to her delight, the ice wall that usually came up between strangers begin to crumble.

"I am," He chuckled, "And you are very perceptive, Miss Thatcher."

She blushed and smiled thoughtfully at that. Most men praised her for her looks and other outward traits, but not many had taken the time to notice her personality or inward traits. And, as far as she could recall, none had commented on any perceptiveness on her part, so this compliment was something Elizabeth made a mental note to ponder on.

Jack continued to share that he had worked very hard to get where he was today, but he leaned more towards telling her of the accomplishments of his fellow Mounties. Once he hinted at the fact that he had been promoted, but he stated it in the most modest and humble way possible that Elizabeth admired him all the more for it. They were so caught up in their conversation that they were both taken by surprise when two gentlemen walked up towards them. Elizabeth noted at once that they did not carry themselves as other rich gentlemen did, that is with a stiff pride and an often inflated sense of self worth, but rather with a simple down-to-earth charm that she guessed could only come from being Mounties. And when Jack's face lit up with recognition, she knew she'd guessed correctly.

"Ah, Jack!" Said one, a dark-haired Mountie with fascinating blue eyes, "Here you are, we were wondering where you might've disappeared off to."

"You missed the first round of Kemps," The other, an enthusiatic and jolly-faced man, exclaimed, "Arnold and I crushed Ernest and Rob."

Jack broke into a fond grin as the two Mounties related these things to him, and as he turned to introduce Elizabeth their eyes fell on her and both smiled with recognition.

"But it seems that _you've_ been entertaining far better company," The first grinned knowingly, and then bowed to Elizabeth as she stood, "Miss Thatcher. I am Constable Arnold Beckett, and this is Constable James Demers. We're friends of Jack."

"Pleasure to meet you both," She said, smiling cordially, "Constable Thornton was just telling me about the two of you, it seems that you are both very highlly respected at the Academy."

"Well, yes, but not half as looked up to as this one," James replied, lifting a finger in Jack's direction, "He likes to leave it out, but he's always been at the front of the class."

Jack reddened slightly but still managed to look intimidating as he glared James into an amused silence. Elizabeth was almost a hundred percent certain she heard him mumble ' _knock-it-off-_ _James_ '.

"At any rate we're very lucky to have gone to the same Academy," Arnold interjected, wise enough not to test Jack but unable to resist a small smirk, "It's always good to meet others with similar goals and ambitions as your own."

A hum of agreement rose from the other three in the group, and then Jack spoke up.

"So, will there be a second round of Kemps?"

"Kemps?" Elizabeth interjected curiously.

James opened his mouth, but was beat to it by Jack.

"It's a card game," He explained, "There are two teams of two, and the goal is to obtain four cards of the same rank. When a team does so, they must say kemps. In each hand the losing team gets a letter of the word kemps as a penalty, so the first team to spell the whole word k-e-m-p-s loses the game."

"It sounds like fun," Elizabeth replied, a twinkle suddenly sparking in her eyes. She'd always enjoyed multiplayer games, especially the more competetive ones.

"Would you fancy playing a round then, Miss Thatcher?" James suggested, "Arnold and I could play on one team and Jack and yourself can play on the other-since he knows the rules so well."

Elizabeth caught the small wiggle of James's eyebrows in Jack's direction to which the young constable thinned his lips in warning, but he hastily made a dimpled, agreeable smile at her when he noticed she was looking in his direction.

"I'd like that," She consented.

The other three were visibly pleased with her decision and politely prompted her to join them in a part of the gazebo where they found five cushioned recliners, four of whose backs faced a glass table.

The fifth was facing the table and in it sat a man that Elizabeth didn't recognize but whom she supposed was the card dealer sat on the left. She was beginning to wonder why the chairs were not facing the glass table, when Jack motioned for her to sit and began explaining their strategy.

"We all start off with four cards," He explained in a low voice so that Arnold and James on the other side would not overhear, "You can take one card or more from the cards on the table, but you must always have four cards in your hands. When you have four cards of the same rank, as I mentioned before, you have to signal your team partner to say kemps."

"So we need a signal?" Elizabeth whispered back, quickly understanding the concept.

"Exactly. Something like tapping your fingers, or jutting your chin-nothing ovbious so that the other team doesn't catch on."

"How about twitching one side of your mouth?"

Jack tried it, and Elizabeth nodded in approval when she saw how subtle it was. Jack filled Elizabeth in on a few more of the games' specifics and when she assured him she was ready, he turned their chairs towards the glass table.

James and Arnold smiled eagerly from the other side of the table, and Elizabeth felt a competitive spirit rising within her. She smiled pleasantly back at them and accepted the four cards handed to her.

Once the cards were handed out, the dealer proceeded to set out four cards face up on the glass table. There was a King of hearts, an eight of clubs, an Ace of diamonds, and a ten of diamonds.

"Ladies, first." Jack said.

Elizabeth glanced at the cards in her hand. She held an eight of spades among her other three cards, and since she didn't have any others that matched the ones on the table, she picked up the eight of clubs. She then quickly placing a six of hearts in its place so that she still had four cards in her hand.

James went next and took the King of hearts with the faint but unmistakable excitement that comes when one is one step closer to one's goal but trying hard not to let anyone know. He then replaced it with a two of clubs.

"So it's the King he's after," Elizabeth thought as she watched Jack study the cards before him.

It didn't seem like any of them were of any use to him, but regardless he took the ten of diamonds and replaced it with a three of clubs. Arnold took the six of hearts and replaced it with a Jack of clubs.

Jack maintained a straight face, but Elizabeth felt that he was getting closer to his goal when he swept up the Jack of clubs and replaced it with a Queen of spades. She reminded herself to watch for the signal in case it was coming soon.

The four cards on the table were no longer of any use to any of them, so James requested the card dealer to sweep out a new four cards.

Elizabeth felt a squeal about to erupt from her throat at the unbelievable sight of two eights, one of diamonds and the other of hearts, but with all the self control she mustered she managed to keep it in. As carelessly as she could manage, Elizabeth picked up the two eights and replaced them with a seven of clubs and an Ace of hearts. Then, upon catching Jack's gaze, she smirked from the corner of her mouth.

"Kemps!" He cried.

Elizabeth let the squeal she'd been keeping in escape and gloried in the jolted expressions of James and Arnold.

"What?!" They exclaimed in unison.

Elizabeth giggled with glee as she held up her beautiful collection of eights and flashed them in their disbelieving faces before splaying them out on the table just in case they hadn't seen them properly.

"And Miss Thatcher and the Constable win the first hand!" The card dealer announced.

He produced a pen and paper from his waistcoat and scribbled the letter 'k' on James and Arnold's paper.

"I can't believe it!" James exclaimed, picking up Elizabeth's cards and shaking his head incredulously.

Jack laughed, a lovely and mellow sort of laugh, that made Elizabeth's heart do a little flip and her cheeks flush with embarrassed pride.

"You're a natural, Miss Thatcher," He beamed, a smile in his voice and on his face, "You outwitted two Mounties within barely five minutes."

The rest of the game was completed in a far shorter amount of time than any of them had expected, or maybe it just seemed shorter to Jack and Elizabeth because against all odds, they won it. It had almost been a tie. James had had four Queens, but as he was about to signal to Arnold to announce their victory, Jack anticipated the signal and exclaimed 'stop kemps!'. James had no other option but to hand his cards over to Jack and hence make him and Elizabeth the winners.

They wanted to go in for a third round but it was getting considerably late and Elizabeth knew her parents and the other guests would be wondering where she was. Arnold and Jack needed to get up early tomorrow to continue preparing for their transfer, and James had to catch a train this very evening bound for Fort McNeill. They managed, however, to share a few words as they walked together towards the main exit.

"You must've been cheating!" James accused laughingly, "There's no other way you could've known I was going to signal Arnold!"

"I didn't know," Jack shrugged with an innocent grin, "Miss Thatcher whispered to me that she'd figured out your signal, and I noticed it before Arnold did."

He turned, all dimpled smiles, to a blushing Elizabeth. Arnold and James both shook their heads disbelievingly.

"Well, it was a pleasure Miss Thatcher," Arnold said, inclining his head as he shook her gloved hand, "If the opportunity ever presents itself again to play kemps, I would have enough sense to ask you to play on my team."

"I'd like that very much," Elizabeth grinned, "It was a pleasure to meet you both, and I wish you safe travels to your new posting."

She directed the last phrase to James, who nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, " He said, "Unfortunately I must leave at once, but I hope we will meet again. As always, it was great seeing you Jack."

"You as well." Jack replied with a warm smile.

He shook hands with both Mounties before watching them turn away and walk outside. They found a free taxi quickly due to the fact that Mr. Thatcher had hired several taximen to wait outside to pick up the guests from the ball, and soon enough the car was driving out of the large grounds infront of the building. The headlights and tail-lights glowed in the dark for a few moments, and then they disappeared off into the busy street.

Elizabeth sighed softly, a soft smile curling her lips as she contemplated on the lovely evening she'd had. She was quite absorbed in her own thoughts, but the warm presence behind her quickly reminded her that she was not alone.

She turned, a little wide eyed, to face the young constable still standing there and belatedly realized that it was just the two of them out on the large porch.

The full moon hung solitarily above them, casting a silvery glow on their faces and their slightly quickened breaths condensed in the air. Elizabeth was almost certain he could hear their heartbeats in the immense silence.

Both drew in unsteady breaths and at the same time they started to speak.

"So, I-"

"That was-"

Elizabeth broke into a soft giggle and Jack laughed.

"Please." He prompted gently.

"I was going to say that I enjoyed myself tonight," She replied, "Thank you for that."

"You're welcome. I did as well."

There was a short pause, and Elizabeth struggled for words. She didn't know for the life of her what was wrong, she could always hold a decent conversation with her guests at other balls and social events, but something about the young constable had her tongue-tied. She knew she couldn't keep him here forever, it was cold and late, so she forced herself to speak.

"I look forward to meeting you again, Constable."

"Jack."

It was stated so abruptly that Elizabeth wondered if someone else by the name of Jack was in the premises, but the young constable quickly clarified.

"Please, call me Jack."

Elizabeth heard the nervous smile in his voice and almost wanted to say yes, but she didn't want to seem impolite. There was also the factor that they'd probably never see each other again.

Yet despite everything, Elizabeth felt compelled by his warm earthy eyes to give her consent.

"Very well," She agreed, a small smile playing on the corners of her lips, "And you may call me Elizabeth."

"Then, good evening Elizabeth." He wished her.

The way he said her name made her want to hear it from his lips over and over again. For all she knew it could be the last, yet she hoped with a strange passion that it wouldn't be.

"Till we meet again, _Jack_."

The grin that had been pulling at his lips finally broke through and he dipped his head to her slightly before walking down towards the taxis. She retreated to the front entrance of the building, yet before she slipped back inside the ballroom to be met by the ruckus and chatter, she spared one last glance at the tall figure stepping inside the cab.

With the image of his dimpled smile impressed in her mind, Elizabeth hoped her last words to him would come true somehow.

Some way, it would happen.

(Wow, finally! It took WAY too long to finish this one-shot, I apologize for just disappearing, but after trying to overcome a HUGE writer's block and getting way too much school, it was hard to continue writing :s I hope you all enjoyed this one, and hopefully I'll be able to post another soon enough! Please do fave, and\or follow and comment to let me know what you think!)


	5. Chapter 5: A Different Beginning

A Different Beginning

by Cel140

 _ **Yay, I'm finally back to writing! It's been tough and I don't exactly know the whens or hows I will update again, but I will do my best. Here's an idea I had a little while back of an alternative way for how Elizabeth and Jack might've met in the pilot episode. I thought that it would've been interesting to have him rescue her from the bandits that attacked her stage coach, and yet they would still end up rubbing each other the wrong way...at least, initially :P Oh, and feel free review, favourite, and/or follow if you enjoyed this!**_

 **Setting: Somewhere on the outskirts of what once was Coal Valley.**

 **Category: Canon divergence**

 **Rating: K**

"Come on, Miss Thatcher, we have got to move now. There's no time to waste on your belongings."

Elizabeth stood forlornly on the side of the unpaved road, her hand shielding her squinting eyes as she gazed in desperation at the Mountie who was standing by his horse adjusting the saddle's buckles with an unchangeable determination on his face. Her beautiful silk blouses and expensive skirts were strewn all over the grass, the schoolbooks she had brought for her students all torn, and her safe had been emptied of all its valuable contents. With a lump in her throat, Elizabeth backtracked to the moment in which her once exciting and memorable journey had gone so wrong.

She had been sitting comfortably in the back seat of the stage coach, awed eyes admiring the wild beauty of the scenery as it rolled by. There had been a few bumps in the road, but she had been too wrapped up in her own thoughts to be moved too much by them. She had contemplated on the reason why she'd left her family and the comforts of high society life to come out West. Confidence and pride had welled up her in chest for having taken the big step to teach in the small mining town of Coal Valley, yet when the sound of gunshots in the air had induced a squeal of terror from her lips and made her throw herself on the stage coach floor in fright, she wondered if she had overestimated her strength. The ruffians who had fired had pulled her roughlly out of her comfortable seat and demanded at gun point that she give up her money. In this desperate hour, the Mountie had come to save the day, yet not before she had put herself in harm's way and the bandits had vandalized her belongings.

The Constable had caught the three attackers by surprise. Two followed his orders of stepping away from the stage wagon but the third had made a run for Elizabeth's purse which, along with a large sum of money, contained her father's watch. Moved by her determination not to let the bandit take her most prized possession, Elizabeth had foolishly stepped in the way. The bandit loaded his gun and prepared to shoot her, but Jack knocked him out with the butt of his rifle. The other two bandits, set on stranding both of them in the middle of the wilderness, scared off three of the four stage coach's horses and galloped off into the distance. She had been throughlly shaken by the ordeal, yet when she had gone to thank her rescuer he had berated her for being so foolish as to risk her life for an easily replaceable keepsake. A short but heated argument followed and they effectively frustrated and upsetted one another. Elizabeth couldn't understand how he could be so insensitive about it, but she tried her best to keep her cool. There was no use getting upset at one another. They needed to work together if they wanted to get anywhere, and as such both made the effort to turn the conversation to the task at hand.

"There are two horses," Elizabeth said, her tone strained with the stress of their limited options, "They can pull the coach, can't they?"

"Two horses can't pull a stage wagon made for four," The Constable said dismissively, grabbing both the reins of his horse and the stage coach horse, "You can ride this one and I will ride mine."

Seeing she did not move to action at once, Jack prodded her again. Elizabeth's face changed from a scowl to dread when it dawned on her that he was not joking. Her lips twitched in desperation and Jack had a very uncomfortable feeling that she was about to cry, but to his relief she only quickly swiped her hand under her eyes.  
"I can't ride."  
He eyed her in disbelief.  
"You can't ride?" He repeated.  
"Well, there's no need to go on about it," She snapped, clutching her purse with her father's watch in it, "I was never taught to ride so I can't very well be expected to."  
Her tone was shrill with the pressure of this dire situation, so Jack was wise enough not to comment further. Whether he liked it or not, there was no way for him to teach her how to ride in less than a few hours. He expelled an undecided sigh and lightly flicked the reins against his horse's neck. There was nothing for it.  
"Very well," He conceded, " You'll ride with me."  
Her face morphed into relief as he turned to re-adjust Sergeant's saddle. He motioned for her to stand beside the horse and then, coming up behind her, hoisted her up onto the saddle. Elizabeth gasped with surprise at the strength in his arms and clutched desperately at the rim of the saddle to steady herself.  
With one hop and a swing of his leg, Jack alighted behind her on the bare portion of the horse's back. He was used to riding with and without the saddle, so it wasn't much of an issue, but the fact that there was only one set of stirrups was a bit of a dilemma. Although Jack was the one who would be doing all the riding, it would be tiring and not to mention numbing for Elizabeth to have her feet dangling over the sides of the horse's back for the entire duration of their ride. It took a little trial and error to get a position comfortable for the both of them, but eventually they decided that Elizabeth should lock her heels into the front part of the stirrup while he rested the ball of his foot on the back.  
"If you feel like you're slipping, grip with your knees," He instructed, "It will help keep you steady."  
He kicked sharply into Sergeant's sides. Elizabeth emitted a gasp of surprise and, completely disregarding Jack's advice, seized his arms in terror.  
"Sorry," She said, quickly releasing them the second she realized her hands were there. They had felt so muscular in her grip, but she tried to forget it and squeezed her knees into the horse's sides.  
"Don't mention it," He replied, his tone patient and slightly tinged with humor. Elizabeth was almost certain he was smirking behind her, yet somehow it didn't come across as smug. She wasn't sure what had caused the sudden change in his demeanor, so she simply shook it off.  
"Yah!" Jack firmly prompted, and with this exclamation and a less jolting kick, Sergeant started off at a trot.  
The sun was setting steadily behind them. Jack knew they had to reach Coal Valley before nightfall, yet there was probably no way to do that at this pace. If he was riding alone he would've spurred Sergeant into a gallop by now, but with Elizabeth on the horse's back too, Jack wasn't sure how long he could take the weight _and_ keep up a fast pace. And even if they could pick up the pace, Elizabeth was in no ways prepared for it. She had grabbed his arms in terror with only a jolt; imagine if Sergeant, the highly trained and energetic stallion that he was, took off at a gallop. After Jack had very amusedly imagined the scene that would ensue, he quickly came to the conclusion that camping for the night was the only way.  
When he voiced his decision, Elizabeth immediately perked up. Likely she thought of it as a fun outing similar to one she might have at home with luxuriously decorated tents, soft beddings, and gourmet treats and tea to eat and drink over a pleasant conversation about the comforts of high class society. Yet there were no luxury tents out here, no soft beddings, no treats or drinks.  
"It's not as charming as you'd think," Jack said straight-forwardly, "The ground will probably be uncomfortable, and there are coyotes in these parts."  
Elizabeth froze for a split second and turned very white in the face. She tangibly shivered against him and for a moment she seemed to crawl so deeply into her skin that Jack almost wished he hadn't said anything.  
"Oh." Was all she said.  
"A fire is enough to keep them at bay however," He continued, trying to allay her fears, "They're not aggressive creatures."  
Unsure of what else to say to soothe her, he simply shut his mouth and spurred Sergeant into a slightly faster trot.  
The sun slipped away behind the horizon a lot faster than either of the two liked. The last deep purple highlights seemed to fade into the grey darkness that was spreading overhead. Jack brought Sergeant to a halt and dismounted.  
"We'll camp here," He announced.  
Elizabeth took in their surroundings and bit her lip. Jack thought she looked a bit like a deer in headlights, but there was a certain determination flickering in her sapphire eyes that obtained his admiration.  
After a decisive nod on her part, Jack carefully removed her from the saddle and set her on the ground.  
She moved away from the horse to look around them as Jack took his tent out of the saddlebag.  
Though the area where they were to camp was void of any civilization as far as the eye could see, it still had a wild sort of beauty. On their immediate right ran a long, narrow river and a little ways behind it grew sparse trees on rolling hills. On their left was a much thicker wood with a grey mountain towering high behind it. Its top might be snow-capped, judging by how large it was, but it was so thickly blanketed by fog above the tree line that it was hard to tell whether it didn't just melt into the dark sky overhead.  
"Would you pass me the nails please?" Jack called, interrupting her stream of thoughts.  
Elizabeth turned quickly to him and saw he was pointing to an area of the grassy ground beside her. She spotted the glimmer of four silver nails in the fading light and stooped to pick them up.  
"Here," She said, handing them to him.  
Jack took them with a grateful nod of his head and hammered the first nail into the ground with a rock. Elizabeth watched, fascinated despite herself, as he single-handedly pounded in the other three. He'd undoubtedly done it many times before, but Elizabeth had never met a man in Hamilton or elsewhere who had ever even cleaned a speck of dust off of a counter. There was always someone else to do it for them, so seeing such a self-sufficient man was like a breath of fresh air.  
If Jack noted her eyes were on him, he didn't mention it. After setting up the tent, he tied the flaps closed.  
"I'm going to go get some firewood," He said, "Do you want to join me?"  
Elizabeth was quick to nod in agreement. She strongly disliked the thought of staying alone in foreign territory, no matter how beautiful, so it was an easy choice to make. Jack motioned for her to follow him and together they made their way towards the sparse forest on their left.  
The river couldn't be crossed, even though it was narrow, but Jack was quick to assure her that there was always firewood to be found. Elizabeth said they could collect it from the thick forest on their left, yet Jack's eyes visibly darkened at her suggestion.  
"It's too dark to go into that forest," He replied firmly, "One can get lost very easily."  
Elizabeth clenched her jaw a little.  
" _Of course_ ," She thought, huffing, " _He probably thinks I'm the most incapable and spoiled princess in the country_."  
What she didn't understand was that Jack hadn't intended for his words to be taken harshly, but more as amiable concern. Perhaps it was the professional manner in which he spoke that may have come across as belittling, yet as far he knew, Elizabeth had not been offended at all.  
It took a little less than twenty minutes to find all the wood that they could carry, and carry it they did. After setting the bigger chunks by the tent, Jack made his way towards Sergeant to get his matches from his saddlebag.  
Elizabeth, however, had other plans. She knelt beside the pile of twigs and slim branches and selected two of the thickest ones. Once satisfied, she drove one into the ground and lifted the other in line with her arm and began rubbing them together.  
Jack felt a chuckle arising in his throat, but he did his best to swallow it before asking a question.  
"What are you doing?"  
"I'm making a fire," She answered sharply, still quite riled up about his earlier comment, "I'm not incapable."  
Jack pursed his lips in an effort not to smile, "You know, I have some matches in my saddlebag."  
Elizabeth stopped rubbing and her face turned a light shade of red, either from embarrassment or anger, before she set the two sticks down.  
"Here," He said, offering the matches to her. He did his best not too appear too amused when she cast him a withering look and snatched the pack out of his hand. She and Julie used to go exploring multiples time in the huge basement under the Thatcher Estate, so soon enough she had a flame going.  
The sun was long gone by the time Jack and Elizabeth had eaten and drunk, having fully surrendered to the starry blanket of night and allowed it to light the sky with a far less bright, yes still captivating glow. Elizabeth sighed blissfully as she absorbed the warmth of the red fire crackling in front of her and the view above. Everything about this place was so lonely, yet it was a calm and beautiful loneliness that inspired deep thoughts and reverence rather than miserableness.  
"Not bad for the wild West?" Jack asked. His voice, soft and warm, seemed to weave itself so effortlessly into her subconscious that it didn't startle her at all.  
"It's quite pretty," She conceded, a little hesitantly. She gave him a genuine smile, but truth be told, she wasn't sure how to react to being out here alone with Constable Jack Thornton. It wasn't that she felt unsafe, quite the opposite in fact, she had never felt quite so at peace in the knowledge that she would not be harmed than as she did while he was here. It was simply the fact that he was a proud and professional Mountie who seemed to prefer to keep his true emotions and words to himself. Now that he was actually being quite conversational and agreeable, she was feeling slightly unsure of what to say or do. She wondered if he still was holding a grudge against her for trying to get back her father's watch.  
He hummed in agreement to her statement, "The stars are out tonight as well. I think I can see the Big Dipper."  
Elizabeth straightened, her suspicions as to whether he was still upset at her or not forgotten, and moved her gaze away from the fire to the skies.  
"Where?" She inquired.  
"There, off towards the left, quite close to that cluster of stars. Do you see it?"  
Elizabeth scrunched her nose and came a little closer so as to get a better look, but still she couldn't identify it.  
"No."  
"Look, where my finger is pointing," He said, lifting his square index and holding it to the sky, "The handle should be right under it."  
Elizabeth moved over a little nearer and tried to see where exactly he was pointing, but she could not tell which one it was. Still in an effort not to give Jack the idea that she was nearsighted, which she was not, Elizabeth murmured in understanding.  
Jack, however, did not fall for it. He chuckled amiably and turned to face her.  
"You can't find it can you?"  
Elizabeth wanted to protest, but the look of amusement in his eyes prevented her from doing so. She huffed and scooted away from him.  
"No, I can't."  
He waved his hand dismissively and turned his attentions back to the sky.  
Elizabeth watched in half-heartedly concealed admiration. His clean shaven face glowed in the fire light and the shadows played with the dimples along his jaw and the darkness around his deep set eyes. She thought he looked tired, as though he shouldered more responsibility than even so strong-looking a Mountie as himself could handle, yet he didn't cave under it. One only had to look at him once to realize that nothing could snatch away that glimmer of mystery and life in his hazel eyes.  
They sat in relative silence; only slightly broken by their soft breathing, the crackling of the fire, and the soothing chirruping of nearby crickets. Elizabeth felt as though she could sit here peacefully forever, but eventually the monotonous noises began to lull her to sleep. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but when she failed to properly stifle a little yawn, Jack turned to face her.  
"You should get some rest," He suggested.  
She nodded slowly, acknowledging the truth in his statement. As she attempted to gather her wits, she suddenly remembered that there was only one tent. It was big enough for a person to lie comfortably, perhaps two if they lay shoulder to shoulder, but Elizabeth blushed furiously at only the thought of lying that close to him. She couldn't have him in the tent.  
" _You're so selfish Elizabeth Thatcher_ ," She quickly reprimanded herself, "Y _ou want him to sleep out on the cold hard ground so you can stay nice and cozy in_ _ **his**_ _tent and_ _ **his**_ _sleeping bag. There are coyotes out there_."  
She grit her teeth in disgust of how unkind her thoughts had been. He needed to sleep more than she did.  
"Miss Thatcher," He said, once again interrupting her thoughts, "You need to rest now. We have a long road ahead of us."  
He stood in gentlemanly respect as Elizabeth lifted herself from her sitting position. She lolled slightly to one side as fatigue, but she did her best to steady herself.  
"So, uhm," She mumbled, "Will you-sleep in the tent?"  
She prayed to God that she wasn't visibly blushing. She could feel waves of embarrassment flooding her cheeks and washing over her shoulders and spine, yet it was impossible to address the issue when there was a twinkling eyed Constable looking eye-to-eye at her without turning as red as his uniform.  
"Oh no," He assured her quickly, a faint hint of humor in his tone, "It's for you."  
"But where will you sleep?"  
She wasn't sure why she was asking a question with such a blaringly obvious answer, but she supposed if she heard him say sleeping outdoors was alright, she wouldn't feel so guilty.  
"On the ground," He said.  
She stared at him, expecting him to assure her that it was alright, but what he said instead shocked her. It could've been exhaustion or the shadows tricking her eyes, but Elizabeth could swear she saw him smirking at her blank look.  
"Why Miss Thatcher?" He asked innocently, "Did you have another idea?"  
Elizabeth looked at him flabbergasted, struggling to comprehend how such he had verbalized such a flirtatious comment as casually as if he was addressing the weather. It didn't help that he had stepped up closer as he was saying this. She opened and shut her mouth a few times, trying to answer, but failing miserably. It was his eyes that partly kept her tongue-tied, so she quickly looked down at her hands.  
"No, of course not. Goodnight, Constable." She said all in one breath.  
Then, without daring to look up to see his reaction, she disappeared into the tent and shut the flaps behind her.  
She quickly sat down on the ground to begin removing her traveling boots. Usually she could take them off with ease as they were made with buckles and not laces, but in her embarrassment her fumbling fingers took double the time. She eventually squiggled into the sleeping bag, yet as she tried to cool her burning cheeks against the cold fabric a quiet chuckle was heard through the fabric of tent.

The nerve that man had!  
She shifted loudly in the sleeping bag, hoping he would hear her and understand that she was still listening, yet he didn't make another sound. A quiet huff she expelled and, tired though she was, she wondered if she would ever get to sleep with his comment still ringing in her ears. That, and the fact that the sleeping bag smelt like fresh minty cologne.  
She tried counting sheep under her breath, but upon reaching 152 she lost count and had not earned even a little sleepiness out of her toil. She shifted in the sleeping bag again and emitted a sharp 'ow' as something cold and hard dug into her side.  
"Miss Thatcher," Came Jack's voice, "Is everything alright?"  
Elizabeth winced as she gently rubbed the hurt spot before locating the offending object. Clasping her fingers around it, she felt the distinctive bumps and groves of a rather large Swiss Army Knife.  
"I'm fine," She responded, pulling the object out and tossing it in a corner of the tent, "I laid down on something hard."  
He probably thought she'd accidentally laid down on a rock under the tent. It wouldn't do to tell him she felt a bruise forming because of his knife.  
Elizabeth picked up on counting sheep again, yet was once more startled when she heard Jack moving outside. From the shuffling, she figured he was probably kneeling down unravelling his extra blanket on the ground. She wondered absentmindedly if he would fall asleep before she did, but she tried not to think about what _he_ was doing and simply to relax.  
With the crickets chirping soothingly in the background, Elizabeth slowly found herself losing awareness of her surroundings and falling deeper and deeper into the welcoming peace of sleep.  
...

It was early morning when Elizabeth was slowly pulled out of her deep slumber by a hand shaking her shoulder. She murmured sleepily to whoever it was bothering at her at such an early hour to stop, yet the hand was as persistent as it was gentle.

"We have to get moving Miss Thatcher, there's no time to waste."

Elizabeth easily recognized the voice and soon the memory of the past twenty-four eventful hours filled her head. She dared to open a lazy eye and immediately shut it when the surprisingly overpowering morning light sharply restricted her pupils. She had only caught a glimpse of Jack's red jacket, as he had knelt beside her, but she didn't have to look up to his face to know that he was getting impatient.

"Alright," She mumbled quietly, her brain still too sluggish to disagree, "I'll be out in a moment."

Jack seemed satisfied and removed his hand from her shoulder. Elizabeth felt the tent move slightly as he exited through the flaps and shivered when cold dewy air seeped in. She was tempted to snuggle deeper into the warm sleeping bag, but the sound of Jack arranging things outside gave her the impression that he was not joking when he said there was no time to waste. Elizabeth imagined him ripping out the tent nails and slinging the tent, with her in it, over his energetic horse's back. Needless to say the scenario, as unlikely to happen as it was, was not inviting so Elizabeth made a conscious effort to open her eyes and wiggle out of her warm coccoon.

Upon exiting the tent, Elizabeth continued to shiver. Jack did not notice at once, as he was adjusting the straps of his saddle, and went ahead to ask her if she could retrieve his sleeping bag from the tent. With one boot on her foot and struggling to catch her balance so that she could put the other one on, Elizabeth reached in through the tent flaps to grab the sleeping bag.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked, grunting softly as she forcefully pushed her foot into the boot.

"Well enough," Jack hedged, "And you?"

"Very well."

Jack hummed agreeably and thanked her when she handed him the sleeping bag. She gave him a hasty smile around her chattering teeth.

"You're cold," He observed, "Sit by the fire."

Elizabeth tilted her head slightly at the concern in his tone, but she didn't question it when she thought of warming herself near the crackling red flames. She did wonder, however, if the reason why he had not slept very well had been because he'd been keeping it alight to protect them from the coyotes. It softened her heart considerably.

As she sat down, tucking her calves under her thighs so as not to sit directly on the wet grass, Jack handed her a canteen and told her to drink its contents quickly.

"The taste isn't exactly pleasurable." He elaborated upon meeting her curious glance.

Elizabeth lifted her brow but did as she was told. She grimaced at the acidic and bitter taste, but was pleasantly surprised when the warmth of the liquid caused her shivers to cease.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," She said, scrutinizing the wonder-working liquid, "But what is it?"

"It's an old recipe we learnt to concoct at the Academy for when our missions would take us to colder areas in the country," He explained, "It's probably best you don't know what's in it."

Elizabeth giggled despite herself and passed the bottle back to him. He took a swig without grimace or shiver and turned away to start dismantling the tent.

After the tent had been taken down and packed inside of Jack's saddle bag, the two travelers ate a humble breakfast of bread and a cup of tea each made with wild mint leaves. Then, with the warmth of the tea and Jack's strange concoction in their stomachs, both alighted Sergeant and set off.

They rode for the better part of the day, following the stream on their right. It was getting larger and larger as they traveled, proof that they were getting closer to a bigger body of water, perhaps a river or even a small lake. Elizabeth wasn't sure if Coal Valley was situated near a lake or river but Jack believed it was.

"Such a secluded town needs to be near a water source," He assured her, "If we follow it we will likely find the quickest road."

Elizabeth hummed in agreement. Silence fell on them momentarily, and in part it was because they were unsure of how to address one another. They had broken the ice somewhat yesterday, but Elizabeth still felt hesitant about speaking to him, particularly when his stomach was pressing against her back for balance and his arms were hanging loosely by her waist in holding the reins. She couldn't quite tell if she felt more protected than awkward, but her curiosity was too much to let the silence go on for much longer.

"I never asked you why you too are heading to Coal Valley," She said, "I suppose you've already gathered that I am to become a teacher there."

"The idea might've crossed my mind. But going to Coal Valley was a choice not of my own making. I was on my way to a posting in Cape Fullerton, but that changed."

Elizabeth noted the mischievousness in his tone and couldn't help a small giggle over how obvious her reason for coming out West was. Jack seemed to smile in her peripheral vision, but she didn't turn to look for her curiosity had been officially piqued to hear mention of Cape Fullerton.

"Oh? I imagine it will be quite hard to accustom to a small town out West when you confront it to a big shipping port city like Cape Fullerton."

Jack's grip on Sergeant's reins slackened a bit and he seemed to tilt his head, "Wait, you know the place?"

Elizabeth hummed, "Yes, my father has done business there for many years."

"And what's your father's name?"

"William Thatcher."

Elizabeth wasn't sure what she had expected him to say or do to this, but him bringing Sergeant to sharp holt had not been one of them. She turned to him in surprise, about to ask him why he'd just done that, yet Jack did not give her the chance.

"Now everything is clear."

Elizabeth furrowed her brows, trying to collect herself, yet their sudden closeness deprived of her breath. She managed, however, to ask what had become so suddenly clear to him.

"Miss Thatcher, a week ago I hadn't even heard of Coal Valley and while I was planning my trip to Cape Fullerton I received word that I was being reassigned to Coal Valley at the request of a very powerful man."

"W-what?" Elizabeth stammered, realization hitting her, "Surely, you don't think-"

Yet her words were cut sharply off when Jack, clearly upset by the turn of events, dismounted and began pacing to and fro.

"What?" He asked sharply as he paced, "That perhaps that wealthy man's daughter is now the reason why I will be stuck in some stranded town out West? I'm certain that's the only reason why I've been transferred, to ensure that William Thatcher's princess doesn't stub a toe in town she had no business going to in the first place!"

Elizabeth had been left stunned with the abrupt tirade, but with this last statement her temper flared. She was not going to allow anyone, not even a handsome Mountie who had saved her life, talk to her in such a manner.

"No business going to?!" She exclaimed, "Pardon me _Constable Thornton_ , but it is not for you to decide whether I can teach where I want to or not! And even if my father did pull strings to get you transferred, I don't need you. I can make my way to Coal Valley on my own, thank you very much!"

"Oh, is that so?" Jack retorted sharply, "Says the woman whom I had to rescue from bandits and who would've gotten herself killed had I not been present. You wouldn't make it a day out here in the wild, much less in Coal Valley."

Elizabeth fumed. She could practically feel her defiant and strong character rising to the surface. Was he daring her?

"Was that a challenge Constable Thornton?" She demanded.

Jack had still been pacing to and fro, but upon this comment he stopped in his tracks and his neck snapped sharply in her direction.

"What?" He asked in disbelief.

"Because if it was," Elizabeth continued, "Know that I am a Thatcher. We do not run from a challenge. I would've appreciated a ride, but if it is to be a challenge then I will trouble you and your horse no further."

With this said Elizabeth seized Sergeant's reins and awkwardly took one foot out of the stirrup. She dragged her leg, greatly hindered by her dress, over the horse's back and alighted onto the ground with about as much grace as a sack of potatoes. Jack might've smirked under vastly different circumstances. She brushed her skirt off to rid it of any dust and wrinkles and, with her chin up and fists clenched softly at her sides, marched haughtily past the stunned Constable.

"Where are you going?" He questioned in bewilderment.

"To Coal Valley," Elizabeth answered irritably, still walking, "I think you've heard of the place."

"On foot?!"

"And without your help!" She growled over her shoulder.

Jack was positively flabbergasted, yet he had enough sense to grab Sergeant's reins and jog towards her.

"You can't walk all the way to Coal Valley," He reasoned, taking longer strides when she picked up the pace, "It's unwise for a wom- _anyone_ to travel alone in these parts."

Elizabeth seemed to soften her shoulders, as if giving him credit for his albeit half-hearted save, but she didn't stop so he kept talking.

"It'll be at least three days before you get there, and even that is stretching it. We could be there by tomorrow morning on horseback."  
"We?" Elizabeth retorted, her tone slightly shrill, "There is no _we_ Constable Thornton. You've made it perfectly clear how you feel about me, my family, and my character. I may be rich but that doesn't mean I can't stand on my own two feet. _You_ will be there by tomorrow and _I_ will make my own way there and in my own time _without_ your services."  
Jack had caught up to her now and he almost felt ready to pull out his hair in frustration. In a split second decision he reached his hand towards her arm and grasped it, bringing her to a sharp halt.  
"Of all the frustrating, stubborn-will you just get on the horse?!"  
Elizabeth felt an equally sharp retort on her lips, but the firm grip on her arm brought a warm shivers down her back. Her cheeks flushed, and although she tried to tell herself it was the steadily growing midday heat, deep down she knew better. The gaze of his intense hazel eyes coupled with his thick eyelashes was mesmerizing.  
Darn those perfect eyes.  
"As little as you or I may like it Miss Thatcher," He said earnestly, "We have to do this together, which means setting this dispute aside and getting to Coal Valley."

Elizabeth pursed her lips in an effort to disagree, yet she could not think of a way to rebuff to his offer. She glanced down at his hand on her arm and Jack, upon noticing it was still there, quickly removed it. The loss of contact left her with a strange mixture of relief and disappointment.

She couldn't believe she was going to give in, but she told herself she was doing this out of necessity and not because this annoyingly handsome Mountie was starting to grow on her.

"Very well, _Constable_ , " She said, maintaining a cool and indifferent tone, "So long as you can actually set this dispute aside."

She thought Jack might say something along the lines of him being willing to set it aside for the time being, but he surprised her.

"And so long as you don't hit me with any more surprises _Miss Thatcher_ ," He replied, his eyebrow lightly raised, "I think we should finish this journey."

The Constable outstretched his hand and a lightly stunned Elizabeth shook it.

"Deal."

With that said the two travelers returned to the saddle. Yet, unbeknowst to the Mountie and the soon-to-be schoolteacher, this was only the beginning of a far bigger adventure than neither could've ever dreamed of and yet that neither would ever change.

 _ **And there you have it #Hearties! I hope you enjoyed this one-shot and that it was long enough. I'm a little worried about it because I'm a little rusty after not writing for so long, so please tell me if something seems out of place or if I should make some adjustments. Thank you again for reading and I'm so excited to watch the Season 3 finale with all the #Hearties near and far, it's going to be EPIC! 3**_


	6. Chapter 6: Secret Getaways

Secret Getaways

by Cel140 ****

 _ **My sixth one-shot is finally here, I hope that you enjoy it! In this story, we will take a little trip down memory lane.**_ **  
** **Category: AU** **  
** **Rated: K** **  
** **Setting: A little while after Season 1 Episode 12**

It had been a very long day at school today for Elizabeth. She didn't know what had gotten into Miles to bring that toad to the saloon when she'd very clearly stated that their science project was due tomorrow, but nonetheless it had happened.  
The slimy cold-blooded amphibian had bounced out of the boy's pocket during their reading lesson. Elizabeth had been reading Robert Frost's _'The Road Not Taken'_ to inspire her students to write a little poem of their own when the whole class was thrown into chaos. Several of the braver students tried to catch the toad while the others shrieked from atop their desks and Liesl, a new addition to Elizabeth's class who suffered from a weak heart, fainted.  
It had taken a whole five minutes to catch the frenzied animal, and another fifteen to calm the equally excited and frightened children. She awoke Liesl gently into consciousness and permitted her to work on an art project to calm her heartbeat. Miles was made to stand in the corner at recess, but if Elizabeth thought that with such measures taken there would be no more trouble, she was quite wrong.  
In the middle of their history lesson, Elizabeth caught Mary and Sarah passing notes to one another. She immediately confiscated them and, upon reading them, was horrified to learn that the once trustworthy girls had somehow copied the answers for their upcoming test on the French Revolution. She gave them both extra homework and a note to send to their parents.  
Thankfully, the school day had finished there before anyone else could wreck havoc, yet still Elizabeth was left bewildered and exhausted as she made her way home. She didn't know why a normally cooperative boy such as Miles and well-behaved girls such as Mary and Sarah would do what they did. She didn't even know how she managed to send her letter to Julie at the mercantile and then get home, but somehow she found herself at the back door of Abigail's Cafe. She gingerly pushed it open and was almost at once hit by the smell of Abigail's biscuits wafting enticingly in the air, drawing her in like a magnet.  
"Elizabeth, you look exhausted!" Abigail commented as soon as her eyes met with Elizabeth's, "Was it a long day?"  
"Oh, you wouldn't believe how long! I think I need a break Abigail, and a very long one at that."  
Mrs. Stanton chuckled softly and set a plate of biscuits on the table for Elizabeth to consume. The young teacher easily took the hint and plopped down into the first chair in her reach with about as much grace as a newborn fawn. Then she gratefully treated herself to the chewy sweet.  
She related the events of her school day to Abigail around mouthfuls of biscuits, occasionally pausing to help Abigail slice some apples for the pie she was currently making. Abigail listened attentively to everything she said and agreed that Mary and Sarah definitely weren't themselves today.  
"They've always been so well prepared for their tests," Elizabeth sighed, "But after seeing what they did today, I'm afraid they might've been copying long before."  
"Perhaps," Abigail conceded, "But I think it's best to give them the benefit of the doubt. How is Liesl doing?"  
"She's much better now," Elizabeth replied with a light nod, "But her condition hasn't changed. We can only pray that the medication her mother ordered will arrive soon."  
Abigail nodded thoughtfully, processing the information.  
"Oh, I almost forgot! Jack came by a little while ago, he said he couldn't find you at the saloon."  
"Really?" Elizabeth inquired, a sudden sparkle alighting her eyes, "I must've been sending that letter at the mercantile."  
Abigail certainly did not miss the look and she smiled softly because of it. It was the glimmer of young love, and she had to admit, it had never suited anyone quite so much as it did Elizabeth.  
"He asked if you would be able to look in on Rip as he'll be going out of town for a little while."  
Elizabeth's face fell a little. She'd hoped that she and Jack would finally be spending quality time together after they had promised one another not to leave Coal Valley, but it seemed as though Jack was more busy than ever. She was alright with looking after Rip of course, the cute and lazy dog was nice enough to her, but she'd so looked forward to a relaxing walk with Jack around the pond or some other equally beautiful spot to help her get her mind off her stressful day. Still, it couldn't be helped.  
"Oh, of course," She said quickly, trying her best not to sound too disappointed, "Did he say when?"  
"As soon as you can."  
Elizabeth tightened her lips a little and nodded. It was best she got moving now then. Retrieving her shawl from a hook on the wall, Elizabeth wrapped it around her slim shoulders.  
"Are you sure there isn't anything you'd like me to help you with?" She asked with furrowed brows, pausing just as she was opening the back door.  
"Oh no, I can handle it. You go and-" Abigail paused half a beat, as if catching herself before she said something she hadn't intended to, "Look after Rip."  
Elizabeth drew her brows slightly together in curiosity, but she gave it no more thought and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.  
She made her way across the street, smiling and nodding to acknowledge the people who passed her by, and found herself thinking about how much she'd grown to love her little coal mining town. The thought of teaching out West had always excited her, but she didn't know just how fulfilling and satisfactory it could be until she actually experienced it. Despite the ups and down, she'd come to love each one of her students for each of their unique personalities and traits, just as she come to admire and respect each one of the inhabitants of Coal Valley for their strength, modesty, and willingness to aid a neighbour. It was one of the best environments to live in, and she was proud to be a part of it.  
It seemed like a far shorter walk to the jailhouse when she was lost in her thoughts, and for that Elizabeth was grateful. She proceeded to make her way up the porch steps and tried the door handle. As usual, it swung open with ease.  
Elizabeth had her eyes on the floor as she entered and quickly she spotted Rip in his usual spot, curled up against Jack's desk. The basset hound had somehow nestled his head between his stubby front legs and his long ears drooped over his paws.  
"Oh, you lazy dog," She giggled softly, gently stroking his short fur, "You never are going to wake up, are you?"  
The dog barely moved under her caress, but he did shift over slightly and that's when Elizabeth caught sight of a little piece of paper lying under him. She picked it up just before he rolled back on it, and as she turned the blank side, she found a short little message written on it in bold capitalized letters.  
"1. FIND THE SHOE."  
Her brows furrowed in confusion as she re-read the card, easily recognizing the handwriting as Jack's, but quite unable to understand what he was doing. First he was asking her to look after Rip, and now he was telling her to find a shoe? What was he up to?  
Elizabeth shook her head and stood to her feet, brushing her skirt off as she did. Alright, if Jack wanted to act like a child and play treasure hunt, she would humour him.  
But a shoe? Where would she find a shoe?  
Elizabeth scanned her surroundings, her eyes first landing on the two cells. They both looked quite similar, save that one looked like it had actually been slept in, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were no shoes under Jack's bed.  
Elizabeth continued looking around, and as she did her eyes landed on a wanted poster that was pinned to the wall on her left.  
She walked up towards it and grimaced at the ugly, sunburnt man that was depicted. He had a hawk-like nose with an unfortunate birthmark on its tip and a thick miskempt moustache. His chapped lips were set into an imposing line that made her quickly avert her gaze to read the capital lettered writing underneath.  
"WANTED, HART JONES," It read, "ATTACKS STATION WAGONS AND STEALS VALUABLES. 100 CANADIAN DOLLARS FOR HIS CAPTURE. Last reported passing through Port Moody. Wore a brown overcoat and chequered shirt, black suede trousers, brown felt hat-"  
Elizabeth grew bored of the seemingly endless description and placed her hands on her hips. Bandits took money, but that was all. Unless they found a pair of shoes of solid gold, Elizabeth doubted it would interest any bandits.  
But as she was about to turn away, something caught her eye. She re-read the last part of the description and happened to come across a part where the poster specified he wore dark brown canvas boots. Wanted posters weren't usually that accurate, unless of course, that bit of information had been added in by a certain very observant and handsome Mountie.  
Elizabeth grinned proudly as she tore the poster off the wall and, as she had hoped, the next little clue for her treasure hunt was on the back.  
"2. BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER."

Elizabeth tilted her head slightly, brushing a stray tendril of hair out of her face. She never knew Jack was one for riddles, but at least he'd left her a hint this time. By the message was a little arrow that directed her to the other side of the room. When she looked there however, there was nothing save a short cabinet. Elizabeth really didn't want to nose around in Jack's things, but then again, wasn't he kind of giving her permission to?  
With a strange surge of childish giddiness, Elizabeth crossed the room and opened the sole door of the cupboard. She peeked inside and found three little shelves inside of it. They were all empty except, wait, there was a little black object on the bottom one!  
Reaching inside, Elizabeth pulled out what she immediately recognized as a lump of coal.  
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!" She said to herself excitedly, "In the eye of a scientist, this lump of coal is a beautiful diamond!"  
She half squealed to herself and quickly wiped off the remains of the coal dust from her hands on her handkercheif. She knew exactly where her third clue lay.  
Walking towards the entrance, she gave a quick look in Rip's direction to make sure he was sleeping before closing the jailhouse door quietly behind her.  
She fiddled with the two clue cards in her hands the whole way to the coal mine, anticipation rising within her with each step. She was met on her way there by coal dust covered workers returning home. They all regarded her curiously in her carefully ironed blouse, flower patterned blue skirt, and white high-heeled boots and wondered whether their poor schoolteacher was lost or not. One of the miners politely asked if she was, to which Elizabeth cheerily replied that she knew exactly where she was going and then wished them all a good day.  
"She's mighty strange." One miner said to his friend.  
"She's lookin' for adventure." The other chuckled.  
Elizabeth reached the mine soon enough, and as she stood at its entrance, a wave of deja-vu hit her, replaying in her mind the time when she'd come in here to help the lady miners and then, in a much graver situation, when she'd gone in looking for Rosaline. For a split second she wondered if that was what Jack was playing at, reminding her of all the things that had happened since she'd arrived?  
The 'find the shoe' one for when he'd noticed she was standing on the outsides of her feet because her shoes pinched, and the 'beauty in the eye of the beholder' one for when he'd called her beautiful for the first time, and in Latin too, the origin of the romance languages. It could very well be so, but she couldn't be sure. She would have to wait till she got a little further into this game he was playing, yet still, the prospect of their past being added to the mix of an already enjoyable treasure hunt game was making her all the more excited.  
Elizabeth walked into the yawning hole and found her next clue. It was situated in a nook of the rocky mine walls, hidden just deep enough so that one of the miners wouldn't find it unless they were actually looking.  
"3. LIES HAVE SHORT LEGS."  
Elizabeth frowned a little. Jack had to be alluding to the time when Cat had been framed by Mr. Spurlock, and if that was so, her next clue was either somewhere at the burned church or at Mr. Spurlock's cabin. For a split second she was afraid the next clue might be found in the latter, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Jack would never want her to go back there, even if Gowen's sly henchman no longer resided in the cabin. The third clue was then most likely at the church.  
With the determination of a child hunting for some delectable Easter eggs, Elizabeth set out to find her next lead. No matter the distance or difficulty, she would win this game.  
Elizabeth soon found herself at the charcoaled remains of the church and gathered up her skirts as she weaved her way through the pile of planks and scraps of other building materials. She kept her eyes down, carefully scanning the scorched earth. Nothing white stood out on the ground, so Elizabeth paused under the shade of one of the larger beams to re-read her third clue.  
What else, other than lies, have short legs?  
Elizabeth scanned the ground once more, and all of a sudden she squealed with realization and raced forward. Crouching down so that she sat on her heels but her knees did not touch the ground, Elizabeth excitedly pulled over what she had previously recognized as a half burnt chair. Just as she had hoped, her next clue lay right under it.  
"4. THERE IS NEVER JEALOUSY-" She read aloud.  
"-Where there is not strong regard."  
Elizabeth nearly jumped out of her skin when a very familiar voice finished the line and her eyes darted upwards.  
There standing in the middle of the rubble just a few paces from her was Jack himself. He was wearing his bold and formal serge, but the way he leaned with so much ease against one of the upright beams made him look like the laid-back country boy he was at heart. Elizabeth wondered just how long he'd been standing there without her knowing of it.  
"Washington Irving, 1783-1859."  
Elizabeth chuckled despite herself and stood to her feet, self-consciously dusting the dust off her skirt.  
"I don't know why I'm surprised anymore."  
Jack grinned irresistibly and picked his way carefully through the rubble towards her.  
"I thought you were going out of town," She continued, quite aware that the distance between them was steadily decreasing but trying to keep a clear head.  
"I am," He agreed, "Tomorrow. But I have something important to share with you that can't wait till I return."  
Elizabeth felt the heat rush to her cheeks as Jack came even closer to her. She watched awestruck as he stretched his hand out and ran his fingers down her upper arm till he reached her hand and clasped it. A small, pleasant shiver coursed through her.  
"Come," He prompted, his tone low and soft.  
She was unable to meet his mesmerizing gaze, so instead she squeezed his hand and nodded.  
He pulled her gently forward and together they made their way out of the burned church's site and back down the grassy hill the same way Elizabeth had come up it. As they walked down towards the pasture that flanked the west side of Coal Valley, Jack finally spoke up.  
"This clue's a little hard," He explained, "So I'm going to give you a hint. Think hunting."  
Elizabeth brows furrowed in confusion, "Hunting?"  
Jack hummed in agreement and grinned as Elizabeth nibbled her lip thoughtfully, her pupils moving to the upper left corner. She played with the clue cards in her hands again, and all of a sudden she seemed to have reached enlightenment. Her hands flung upwards and she started to say what was on her mind when Jack suddenly grabbed her waist and lifted her straight off her feet with one fluid motion.  
"Oh, I kno-oh!"  
He set her back down only a second later to meet two sapphire orbs. For a few breathless moments she just stared at him, that is, until he jutted his chin to the ground just behind her feet. She made the effort to tear her eyes away, and much to her disgust, she saw a pile of horse dung just a few paces away from where she had been walking. The thought of almost having stepped in it made her scrunch her nose and turn a little red with embarrassment. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she'd almost stepped right in it! Still, she couldn't help but tease him.  
"You couldn't have told me?"  
"You're quite endearing when you're thinking really hard," Jack shrugged, his expression unfazed but a smirk tugging the corners of his lips, "And I never miss an opportunity to hold you."  
Elizabeth blushed at first, but really, she loved the feeling of his strong arms around her. Perhaps it was brazen to say so when they'd only recently started courting, but it was too much for her to keep in. Giggling, Elizabeth cocked her hip and smiled at him mischievously.  
"All you have to do is ask."  
Jack chuckled in response, but as inviting as the offer was, he really wanted to get to the next part of his game.  
"Hm, sounds good," He said genuinely, "But the next clue is awaiting. What were you thinking of before?"  
"I was thinking of when-" Elizabeth paused, and with that tone of hers that accompanied anything she deigned loathsome she said, "Billy and I were walking in the woods and you were coming back from your hunting trip."  
"Correct. Shall we go then?"  
Jack extended his hand to her once more, and Elizabeth eagerly clasped it and threaded her fingers between his. With a small nod, they continued down the small slope towards the pine forest where the citizens of Coal Valley had recently gathered for the church service last Sunday. As they walked there hand in hand, Elizabeth found herself thinking about how wonderful it would be to worship the Lord within four walls. She loved the old grove and the beauty of its surroundings, but she anticipated the feeling of an enclosed house-safe, warm, and filled with God's presence. Also, being able to teach in a place where noisy miners didn't come in and out at all times would be wholly unfamiliar and exciting all at once. She could barely believe that this amazing man walking beside her had been so unselfish as to use his reward money to fund it.  
Eventually they made their way down into the clearing with the tree stumps and horizontal logs that made up their outdoor church. She brought them to a stop and turned slowly to look around them, relying on her memory to indicate the way to the next clue.  
Jack regarded her fondly as she suddenly grinned and pointed out the spot where he had come riding in.

"There!" She announced, "You came out from behind that cluster of trees."  
They walked towards the spot and sure enough, a little card was hidden inbetween one of the higher branches. Elizabeth made an eager attempt to grab it but, much to her consternation, her arm wasn't long enough to reach it. She stubbornly tried two more times on her tippy-toes and was going in for a four time when Jack gently touched her waist and smiled from the side of his face that had the most irresistible dimples.  
"Allow me?"  
Elizabeth dropped back onto her heels and huffed when he effortlessly snatched the card out from between the tree branches.  
"You did it on purpose didn't you?" She accused.  
"Never." Jack said, but it was clear in his tone of voice that he meant the exact opposite.  
Elizabeth smiled despite herself and took the offered card. With another surge of childish giddiness, she quickly unfolded it and read the message on it aloud.  
"5. THE SKUNK, THE BEAR, AND THE DEER," She furrowed her brows, confused, "What does that mean?"  
"Think," He prompted, smiling inwardly, "As a hint, I don't mean literal animals."  
Elizabeth straightened a little, a number of ideas coming to her head. He could be referring to a children's story, but she quickly ruled out that idea when she reminded herself that this treasure hunt was based on the events that had taken place since her arrival. She frowned slightly, trying to recall an incident that could allude to an animal. She couldn't think of any _thing_ that had the qualities of a skunk, deer, or bear. Or was he alluding to a person?  
There had been and still were a number of 'skunks' in Coal Valley. The Tolliver gang, Mr. Spurlock, Billy Hamilton, Mr. Gowen-  
"Oh!" She exclaimed, realization dawning on her, "Is the skunk Billy?"  
Jack said nothing, but the smile curling his lips upwards was definitely affirmative.  
"Then that would make you the bear, and me the deer?" There was an incredulous tone in her voice at the last word that caused Jack to chuckle.  
"I thought it was fitting. You have those beautiful doe-like eyes and a similar physique."  
Elizabeth blushed, pleased to know he appreciated her slim build and wide almond-shaped eyes. She realized now that the bear part matched Jack well, both in personality and physical qualities.  
Jack reddened slightly too, which was quite amusing and endearing to her considering this was the same man who had shamelessly pointed out barely a month ago that her dress was too tight around the waist. Still, it made Elizabeth realize that he was saying this because he actually meant it.  
"Okay," He said, hastily clearing his throat as if that would erase from her memory the words he'd unthinkingly spoken, "Where do you think this clue is?"  
"Well, the place where we caught Billy red-handed was near the stables, so is that it?"  
Jack's eyes widened a little in surprise, and as Elizabeth squealed and excitedly headed off in the direction of the stables, he wondered what he'd done to deserve such a beautiful and intelligent woman.  
It seemed that the time walking back to town passed quite quickly, since Elizabeth struck up a conversation about the previous clue card, and as such the two were quite oblivious to the curious glances those in town cast their way. A few old ladies stopped from their sewing projects to watch with knowing smiles, others whispered in hushed tones about how they wouldn't be surprised if Constable Thornton was going to propose, and still others went as far as to bet with their neighbours that they would be hearing wedding bells within the week.  
Jack and Elizabeth were too caught up in their own little world to notice.  
"So you really were jealous weren't you?" She was saying, "Seeing me with Billy, I mean."  
"Of course I was," He replied defensively, "He wouldn't leave you be, and you encouraged him."  
"Well, if you would've showed some interest in me back then, I wouldn't have even given him a second glance."  
Jack tilted his head, surprised by this frank statement, "Really?"  
"Really."  
The sincerity in her tone made him smile thoughtfully, but he didn't have time to dwell on what she had admitted for long because even now the stables were looming up ahead. Elizabeth skipped quickly towards the stable door entrance. She looked intently on the ground, keeping her eyes peeled for any white objects. Half a minute later, she came out from behind one of the double doors, the curls that framed her face a little tousled but too absorbed in reading her next clue card to notice.  
"6. SECOND CHANCES."  
"This one can't be at Abigail's row house," She reasoned, mostly to herself, "It must be at the saloon, when you asked me to dinner and I gave you a second chance."  
"Well," He grinned proudly, resisting the urge to straighten those lovely unruly curls, "You really are as smart as I thought you were."  
Elizabeth awarded him with a rosy-cheeked smile and with that turned quickly to make her way to the saloon.  
For about another fifteen minutes the two traipsed up and down Coal Valley locating all the little clues Jack had left. In the saloon, clue card seven was found stuck under the chair in which Elizabeth had sat when she had given Jack the intelligence test. It directed them to Abigail's Cafe, where they had had their first date and Elizabeth happily reminisced how romantic it had been and once again congratulated Jack on his dancing skills. In Jack's own unique way, he retold their whole story thus far. By the time they reached the clue he'd hidden on the hill where they had shared their first kiss, Elizabeth's eyes had gone misty.  
"I can't read the last clue," She said, blinking furiously as she let out a watery chuckle.  
Jack smiled warmly and reached up to wipe away a little trickle that escaped her eye.  
"Come. I'll show it to you."  
Elizabeth took his hand when he offered it to her and followed as he led her down the hill. It was slightly steep on this side so Elizabeth found herself clutching his hand a little tighter for balance.  
"Easy," He said, noting how her brows furrowed in concentration, "I won't let you fall."  
And everything in her believed him.  
They soon reached the bottom and Jack began leading her in the direction of a wood she had never noticed was here before. She looked at him with a raised brow and then broke into a smile when he grinned mysteriously. He wasn't going to give away anything for this last clue, so she decided she would just have to wait till they reached their destination. They walked through the quiet and open wood hand in hand, occasionally looking up to watch the filtered sunlight shine green through the canopy overhead and listening to the whisper of the wind. Chirps of tiny birds brought an added sereneness to the atmosphere that one could only hope to find in a daydream. A brook bubbled peacefully along the path they were taking. It likely came from an underground stream, as Elizabeth couldn't hear or see another water source. After walking a few more yards, the trees began to thin out and one could spot a clearing up ahead. They followed the brook out into the clearing and Elizabeth couldn't keep from wondering how she had never noticed or been to this place before, yet upon taking in the full sight of the clearing, all thoughts and musings were pushed to the very back of her mind.

What she noticed first was the valley that the wood let out into was one of the biggest she had seen in Coal Valley yet, stretching right and left as far as her peripheral vision could see. Short stalks of wheat growing all over the ground bent gently in the wind and caused the valley to glisten with an almost unearthly golden hue, but it was the sharp contrast between the fields of wheat and the dark mountain that towered behind the valley that truly took Elizabeth's breath away. What it lacked in vegetation it made up for in stature and vastness, and even in this spring day it defied the warm weather by retaining almost all of its snow. Elizabeth shivered in the freshness that it brought into the air. She couldn't help but feel as though she had seen this view before, but thought it quite unlikely as she had never been to this part of Coal Valley.

"It's beautiful!" She breathed, turning to face Jack in awe.

"It is indeed." He nodded, giving her hand a squeeze as he gently prompted her to continue walking with him.

She followed without hesitation. They walked carefully through the knee high wheat, Elizabeth holding her skirt so as not to get them caught in the stalks, but all the while she couldn't shake off the feeling the déjà-vu that kept getting stronger and stronger.

"I could almost swear I've been here before," She said, scrunching her nose in a way that Jack found immensely adorable, "I saw these same wheat fields, and the partially snowy mountains, and those few sparse pine trees, and-"

Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes fell on a cluster of trees on their left. Her mouth fell open and she turned sharply to Jack.

"You!" She accused.

And when her eyes settled on him, it was not with confusion that he responded her sharp remark. His eyes glistened with the mischief of a schoolboy and his lips quirked upwards in the most infuriating smirk she had ever seen him wear up till this point.

"Yes," He grinned, "Me."

"You're the one who painted the backdrop for the founder's day play!" She squealed.

"Yes, I did." He affirmed, taking a step closer to her.

"You embarrassed me in front of my students, and then you pretended you were going to launch an investigation so that I would never guess it was you!"

"Yes and yes."

"You painted us ki- _oh_!"

Elizabeth stopped sharply in her brief tirade when Jack gently took the hand he was holding and brought it slowly up to his lips. Her eyes grew as round as the sun overhead and she let out a little shaky breath when he released it and looked up into her eyes.

"Kissing?" He whispered.

She stared at him dumbly, wholly unable to form any coherent syllables at the moment. He smiled and inclined his head gently towards the cluster of trees that had so suddenly refreshed her memory. Elizabeth blushed as bright a red as his serge and shook her head as if she was awaking from a reverie. How easily she fell under this man's spell was unbelievable.

As they made their way to the cluster of trees, Elizabeth felt as though she couldn't possibly adore him any more than she did right now. Under the shade of the ashen tree with brilliantly red leaves, the same under which Jack had painted them kissing, was laid out a picnic blanket and a large basket. The basket was nearly overflowing with delectable snacks; ones which Elizabeth now realized had probably been of Abigail's making, and with a bottle of champagne nestled in between.

"Oh, Jack!" She said, her eyes brimming with happy tears again, "What have I ever done to deserve you?"

Jack beamed at her and both laughed as they eagerly settled down on the blanket to begin unpacking their lunch.

An hour and a half later, the food had almost all disappeared and the champagne bottle was one-third empty. Jack lay on his back, eyes closed, relishing in the sunlight that filtered through the branches overhead. His gloves and hat rested beside the half empty picnic basket alongside Elizabeth's high-heeled boots and pair of stockings. The latter stood on the far right of the red tree, her soft brown curls blowing about in the wind and her naked feet appreciating the softness of the grass that only grew in the proximity of this cluster of trees. She took in the sight of Jack's peaceful form until her heart felt like it would burst with the love she had for him. She barely remembered how stressful her day at school had been, or how exhausted she had felt when she had proclaimed to Abigail how badly she needed a break. In playing Jack's little treasure hunt and spending an afternoon only with him, Elizabeth had found the very best remedy to her busy and often hectic life. Twirling in between her fingers the red poppy Jack had given her, Elizabeth smiled for what felt like the a thousandth time today. If her life was to ever get too hectic or the responsibility of caring for and teaching each one of Coal Valley's children became too much to bear, she promised herself she wouldn't let it get to her.

All she had to do was to come away to their secret get away.

(And that's a wrap! Wow, this is probably one of the fluffiest things I've written in a long time! I hope that it wasn't too overly fluffy, if that makes any sense x'D Please do write me a review if you liked this one-shot and please follow and favourite this for more! Thank you for being so supportive and I hope to see you all again in my next update! Lots of hugs and kisses!)


	7. Chapter 7: Restrained Impulses

**Restrained Impulses**

 **by Cel140**

 _ **It's been too long since my last Constabeth One-Shot! Thank you all for being so patient with me and for helping me overcome my big writer's block with your amazing encouragement. This one-shot is based on an idea that I had awhile back. Elizabeth is engaged to Charles out of duty to their parents, but she manages to escape Hamilton to teach in Coal Valley on a three-month lease. The new Constable of Coal Valley falls for her right from the get go, but is the ring on Elizabeth's finger enough to make him restrain his heart's impulses? Please review, fave, and/or follow if you enjoyed!**_

 _ **Oh, and everything written in**_ _italics_ _ **are flashbacks.**_

 **Setting: Coal Valley**

 **Category: AU**

 **Rating: K**

It was July 15, 1911 in Cape Fullerton, the beautiful port city situated near Hudson Bay, and needless to say the picturesquely white beaches were crowded with people. To both visitors and citizens, this large city was one of the closest places to paradise. Prices were reasonable, people were friendly, jobs were easy to find, and crime was manageable. It had always been the new Constable's dream post, and he had been relieved of his duties this month to enjoy it.

He decided first to climb one of the coastal cliffs to appreciate the azure waters from a different visual point, as loitering about on the crowded beach was uncomfortable. He also needed the time away to think, for although this was was one of the most sought after postings in Canada, it was nothing compared to home.  
Jack Thornton had had a taste of home. Felt it, saw it.  
But he'd let it slip through his fingers. Now his home was nearly 4,000 miles away, undoubtedly preparing for her upcoming wedding. Just thinking about it made his stomach twist and his heart clench. Why had fate been so cruel as to let him fall in love with a rich heiress already promised to another?  
Yet it had happened.  
He hadn't intended for it to. In fact, when he had first arrived to Coal Valley and had come to find out that she had been the reason why he had been transfered there, he'd been furious. Naturally he'd demanded that his officials change his posting, yet over the course of time he found himself forgetting that he had ever wanted to leave.  
She was everything he could've ever dreamed for. Her strength and courage challenged his own, her beauty and charisma enchanted him, and her quirky and down-to-earth personality made her easy to talk to and all the more attractive.  
The blinding diamond ring on her left hand, however, had been the thing to keep him at a friendly distance.  
He clearly remembered the enlightening conversation they had had one afternoon when the beautiful schoolteacher had been grading the children's papers. It had revealed a lot about the man who'd given the ring to her.  
 _"Congratulations." He said, finally having mustered the guts to comment on her engagement._ _  
_ _"Thank you."_ _  
_ _Jack noticed a slight falter in her tone and covertly asked if something was wrong._ _  
_ _"Oh, nothing!" Elizabeth was quick, perhaps a bit too quick, to assure, "You see, his father is a friend of my father's. We've known each other eversince we were children, but I never thought that he would actually propose to me. It's certainly not what I expected from him, he's-_ _ **um**_ _, always struck me as a business minded individual."_ _  
_ _"Well, does he make you happy?" Jack asked matter-of-factly._ _  
_ _Elizabeth raised her eyes in surprise at this and in that one look Jack's heart fell. Apparently no one had ever considered her happiness in this equation. It also dawned on him that her feelings likely did not matter when her parents had already selected a wealthy suitor for her to marry._ _  
_ _"Oh, Miss Thatcher, please forgive my indiscretion, I-"_ _  
_ _"First of all," She interrupted him quickly, "I told you my name is Elizabeth."_ _  
_ _She raised her brows expectantly, so he repeated her first name. A smile flickered on her face when he said it and, for a moment, Jack wished he could hear what kind of thoughts were running through her pretty head. Was she pleased with him? Did she like how he said her name? Was she unaccustomed to people addressing her by her first name?_

 _How she made his thoughts reel with just a smile or a glance was unbelievable._ _  
_ _"Second," She continued, her smile fading but her eyes still trained on Jack's, "There is nothing to apologize for. Feelings don't mean very much in my case when it is important to keep our wealth among people of high social standing."_ _  
_ _She emitted a soft sigh and said in something of a whisper, "Love is the only luxury I can't afford."_ _  
_ _She looked so sad. His hand craved to comfortingly clasp hers, but one look at the ring on her finger caused him to push the impulse aside. He was her friend at best. He couldn't be anything more._ _  
_ _"I'm sorry." Was all he said._ _  
_Yet, if he had hoped his strange impulses would stop there, he was greatly mistaken.  
Another time, Elizabeth had gotten caught up in quite a mess when an employee of Coal Valley's mining company, Mr. Spurlock, framed the widow Cat Montgomery for arsony. She had gone to Mr. Spurlock's cabin to return a necklace he'd given to Cat, but the visit quickly turned life-threatening when she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun.  
 _He could see, even from a far off, the tears streaming down her face. Mr. Spurlock's finger dragged across the smooth barrel of his weapon till he reached its hammer and cocked it._ _  
_ _"Please," She begged in shrill tones, "You don't have to do this!"_ _  
_ _Mr. Spurlock's finger seemed to tremble slightly on the trigger and Elizabeth was about to scream when Jack galloped towards them. With a whack from the butt of his rifle, Mr. Spurlock fell limply onto the ground. The flash of his red serge must've caught Elizabeth's eye, for instantly his name came tumbling out of her lips._ _  
_ _"Are you ok?" He called._ _  
_ _He seized Mr. Spurlock's weapon upon dismounting from the saddle. Elizabeth hesitated just long enough for him to stash the weapon inside his holster before she ran to him, almost fainting in his waiting arms. He was the first to break away, but he kept a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady._ _  
_ _"Did he hurt you?" His tone was a strange mix between relief that she was safe and animosity towards Mr. Spurlock for having dared to try to harm her._ _  
_ _"No, but how did you know I was here?"_ _  
_ _"Cat told me where you were headed." Jack replied hastily. He couldn't see how he had come as being of any importance, what mattered was that he was here and she was safe._ _  
_ _Her head bumped into the rim of his hat as he attempted to near her, or was it she who was nearing him? He wished he could give in to his impulses. To remove the obstacles that held him back, both physical and emotional, so that his lips could meet hers._ _  
_ _But he didn't._ _  
_ _"You're safe now," He managed to utter, "Come with me."_  
This restraining of impulses continued for days on end. Anytime Jack felt as though he were about to cross the line into what would be considered an improper way for a friend to act, he backed off. He was resolute not to bring about an end to what few actions and words he was allowed exchange in her treasured company.  
Yet still, in keeping his impulses bottled, they only seemed to grow stronger.  
 _"The children and I are preparing the saloon for the barn dance tomorrow night," Elizabeth commented one day as she and Jack were walking through town together, "They have such talent in their little fingers."_ _  
_ _"As does their teacher?" Jack asked._ _  
_ _He grinned at her when Elizabeth cast him a sidelong look._ _  
_ _"I hear that Cat is an exceptional pianist."_ _  
_ _Jack thought that she was trying to shift the attention from herself, so he agreed and added that Ned Yost was also a very good violinist._ _  
_ _"And Abigail will be making some delicious refreshments and treats." She continued._ _  
_ _"Blueberry pie?"_ _  
_ _"Of course!" Elizabeth affirmed proudly, having personally asked Abigail to prepare Jack his favourite treat, "And there will be plenty of merriment and dancing, and-"_ _  
_ _There was an expectant tone hanging on her words, making Jack feel as though he were missing something._ _  
_ _"And what?" He asked, coming to a stop on the side of the street._ _  
_ _Elizabeth's blue eyes glimmered with amused frustration._ _  
_ _"Well, I will be going to the dance," She ventured, "But I was wondering if, perhaps, you would come with me?"_ _  
_ _Jack tried to mantain a straight face, but inwardly he was kicking himself for not having taken the hint at once. Usually he would've noticed when his impulses were about to tested, but this time they had caught him completely off guard. He felt his pulse quicken._ _  
_ _Would it be so wrong to escort her to one dance? His Mountie friends were permitted to escort ladies to dances if their male companions were unavailable. It wouldn't be getting out of the friend zone he had confined himself to if he brought her to one dance. He would only be bringing her there and then for the rest of the evening he would be serving on an official capacity._ _  
_ _"You want me to escort you?" He asked._ _  
_ _"Well," She teased, "I believe that's what is implied when a lady requests a gentleman to join her to a dance."_ _  
_ _Jack burst into an involuntary laugh, a certain lightness filling his chest as he had never experienced before._ _  
_ _"Alright, Elizabeth," He chuckled, "I'll_ _ **escort**_ _you. When should I come to get you?"_ _  
_ _"At nine this evening. "_ _  
_ _And so at nine sharp, Jack stood on the porch of Abigail's row house, clothed in his dress uniform and uncharacteristically nervous._ _  
_ _"Get yourself together, Thornton," He admonished himself, "It's not like you're courting her. . ._ _ **not**_ _that you could anyway. She's just your friend, it'll be like making any ordinary house call."_ _  
_ _And with that thought planted firmly in his mind, Jack wrapped his knuckles against the door._ _  
_ _Almost at once Mrs. Stanton was there to greet him, her gentle and calming aura temporarily making him forget his jitters. Jack was immensely appreciative. She looked very elegant in her chequered purple dress and puffed sleeved coat, and he did not hesitate to tell her so._ _  
_ _"How kind of you, Jack," She smiled, "Elizabeth should be down in a moment. Would you like to sit while you wait?"_ _  
_ _He nodded his gratitude. He was glad that he had taken the offer afterward, for the vision of beauty that was Elizabeth walking down the stairs would be enough to take the legs out from under any man. Jack stood to his wavering feet in gentlemanly respect, completely oblivious to the knowing and slightly sad smile on Abigail's face._ _  
_ _Elizabeth was dressed in a gown of shimmering white satin. Her bodice was adorned with bunches of silk that resembled apple blossoms. A sash cinched the fabric at her waist before letting it flow out freely around her hips and legs and culminate in a train of embroidered fabric onto the floor. Her hair was half up, held with a large white flower pin, while the rest tumbled over her shoulders in soft waves._ _  
_ _Jack only realized he was staring when Elizabeth turned a rosy shade of pink. He attempted to gather his wits and offered her an apologetic smile for making her feel self conscious._ _  
_ _"You look beautiful, Elizabeth." He hoped that he too looked as put together._ _  
_ _"Thank you," She replied demurely and then, turning to her friend, asked, "Are you coming, Abigail?"_ _  
_ _"Oh, I need to check on Carla first. Go on without me, I won't be long."_ _  
_ _Elizabeth nodded in agreement and smiled again when Jack opened the front door for her. The gentleman inside Jack wanted to offer her his arm, or perhaps that was his impulse again, but his brain strongly objected. It was highly improper for an engaged woman to be on the arm of any but her fiancee, so he settled for walking beside her._ _  
_ _"It's really cold tonight," She shivered, "I should've brought-"_ _  
_ _And then she trailed off, for at that moment Jack stopped and offered her the cape that Abigail had handed him on their way out._ _  
_ _Elizabeth shook her head at her forgetfulness, "What would I do without you?"_ _  
_ _Jack's heart clenched at these words, even though they had only been spoken casually. He seriously wondered the same thing, only vice-versa. Elizabeth had told him beforehand that her Father was only allowing her to teach in Coal Valley for three months to_ _ **get out her nonsensical cravings to be a teacher**_ _. Then she would required to return home._ _  
_ _He dared not articulate his thoughts, however, so he smiled modestly and requested if he might help her into the cape. She easily accepted._ _  
_ _Jack swept it around her shoulders and closed the golden clasp in the front. Her locks were now tucked into the garment and his fingers hovered over them, aching to feel those soft curls brush against his skin. His impulse was getting unbearably strong and before he knew it he was gently pulling her hair out, then laying it gently atop her cape._ _  
_ _"There," He said, hoping desperately that his voice wasn't trembling as much as his fingers were, "Better?"_ _  
_ _Elizabeth nodded, her starry eyes fixated on him in serene awe. Jack withdrew his hand quickly and continued walking, leaving her to follow behind._

 _"That was too close Jack," His brain was quick to rebuke him, "You're treading on precarious ground. It's only a matter of time until your poor decisions backfire on you."_  
And, as much as Jack tried to push away these thoughts, the battle between his heart and brain continued to rage on.  
The weeks seemed to go on at a considerably slower pace from there on. He and Elizabeth didn't see each other very often, he had duties to the town and she to the children in it, but when they were free they took time to enjoy each other's good company. He told her of his years before and during the Academy, of his dreams and aspirations, and she in turn related stories from her own youth. Her dreams and aspirations remained relatively undiscussed, not because she didn't have them, but because she didn't think she would be allowed to pursue them when she would marry Charles Kensington.  
 _"He'll want me to attend social events, to learn how to be a wife and mother."_ _  
_ _"And he won't let you teach in a private school?" Jack asked._ _  
_ _"I think not. I wanted to bring it up, but I reconsidered. Teaching is not exactly a lady's career, and I think Charles would be upset if I spent more time in a classroom than his luxurious estate."_ _  
_ _Jack let out an exasperated puff of air. If he ever met this Charles Kensington, he would have a few things to say on Elizabeth's behalf._ _  
_ _"But no mind that, there's no use hoping for something that will not happen," She said decidedly, "I am determined to treasure the time I can spend here with the children and all of my dear friends."_ _  
_ _"And with me?" Jack added. He had meant to come across as playful, but the flatness of his sobriety was discernible._ _  
_ _Elizabeth smiled and reached out to give his arm a squeeze._ _  
_ _"Of course," She said, her tone soft and genuine, "You are my favourite. Don't tell Abigail though."_ _  
_ _Jack felt like coughing over how closely he was going to keep this secret to his chest. Or more accurately, to his heart._ _  
_ _"My lips are sealed."_ _  
_Jack tasted the saltiness of the sea air in his mouth upon recalling these words. He wished with everything in him that he could go back to those blissful moments. To when he had relished getting up in the morning because he knew that, at some point or another in the day, their paths would cross. To when he had not yet let his feelings out in the open and effectively brought an end to their friendship.  
It was the gossips in town that had pushed him over the edge. They had begun spreading rumors about him and Elizabeth, degrading both their good reputations by insinuating that they were romantically involved. Jack had tried to quiet these nosy people, yet before long the rumors also reached Elizabeth's ears. She was horrified to hear that their names were being dragged through the mud, and Jack accidentally overheard her concerned conversation with Abigail about it when on his daily rounds.  
 _"I can't believe they would be such tattle tales," She said, "I feel so awful for Jack. He puts on a brave face, but I can tell how upset it makes him. Oh, Abigail, what do I do?"_ _  
_ _"The only thing you can do, Elizabeth. This may be hard to swallow, but you need to find out just how true these rumors are."_ _  
_ _Jack reeled. His head spun and he felt like he just might crumble against Abigail's back door. He didn't want to stay to hear Elizabeth's response._ _  
_ _He quickly got into Sergeant's saddle but, unbeknownst to him, Elizabeth had heard him as he was making his hasty leave. His name came flying out of her lips as she rushed outside, yet by the time it had reached him, he had already galloped off in the direction of the woods._ _  
_ _It was too easy for her to find him. He had retreated to his favourite spot in Coal Valley, the same place where he had taken a photograph of Elizabeth and her class on a school excursion they'd had a week ago._ _  
_ _He was chopping wood, as he was wont to do when he was particularly upset, and Elizabeth_ _cringed when his axe sliced sharply through a block of wood._ _  
_ _"Jack," She said, once he had acknowledged her presence, "I know you overheard my conversation with Abigail, and I want you to know that I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let this happen."_ _  
_ _"And I as well," He muttered, "As it turns out."_ _  
_ _She quite clearly had not expected this answer, "What do you mean?"_ _  
_ _"Don't tell her, fool!" His brain reprimanded, "You're standing on the edge of a precipe."_ _  
_ _"Tell her," His impulse prompted, "There's no use to try to hide anymore."_ _  
_ _"To what purpose? To get hurt?"_ _  
_ _"To find out if she feels the way you do!"_ _  
_ _Jack felt like his head was going to burst with these debating thoughts pulling him in so many different directions. He hadn't meant to raise his voice, but after almost three months of holding back, it was impossible to do so any longer._ _  
_ _"I mean that I let myself get too close!" He exclaimed, "I tricked myself into thinking that I could settle for being your friend, but I can't do that. Not when I, I'm-"_ _  
_ _He drew in a slow and shaky breath, feeling the tension thicken in the air._ _  
_ _"I'm in love with you."_ _  
_ _Her intake of breath was as harsh as it was audible. Jack thought he would've shuddered to hear this reaction to his declaration of love, but despite his taking such great care not to let his emotions show, it was so incredibly relieving to lay them out into the open._ _  
_ _Elizabeth was quiet for a few awful moments, as though she was absorbing too much information for her mind to process. She raised her eyes robotically to meet his._ _  
_ _"You're in love with me?"_ _  
_ _He could only nod._ _  
_ _"Oh, Jack," She whispered, "I hadn't realized that you were...that you felt..."_ _  
_ _Another spell of silence fell over them. Jack's brain began to throw together a haphazard apology, yet before he could vocalize even one syllable, Elizabeth spoke again._ _  
_ _"I didn't mean to make you feel this way. I care about you with all of my heart, and you are the very best man that I could've ever wished to know."_ _  
_ _Jack's heart felt like it was being punctured in his constricting chest when she lunged suddenly forward to wrap her arms around his neck._ _  
_ _This wasn't an embrace of acceptance. It was one of sadness for the feelings he had for her that she could not return. He could not find it in himself to respond, so she was forced to withdraw and meet his emotionless hazel eyes._ _  
_ _"But you don't love me." He said._ _  
_ _The words hung heavily in the air. Elizabeth's water line began to glisten and Jack clenched his jaw. He couldn't have imagined, not in a million years, that he would've ever made her cry._ _  
_ _"I'm sorry," She choked out, "Jack, you can't even begin to understand how sorry I am."_ _  
_ _She then turned her shoulders to him and fled across the pale green meadow, tears flowing freely onto her cheeks._

That moment on the hill utterly broke Jack. He accomplished the heartrending task of escorting Elizabeth to the train station, and even now the vision of her face vividly imprinted itself in his mind.

" _Thank you," She said as Jack handed her luggage to a porter._

 _He did not acknowledge her expression of gratitude. He knew that they should part as friends, but he could not do that when his heart wanted so much more._

 _The porter rested the luggage on an overhead shelf of Elizabeth's first class compartment and the young Thatcher watched with fiddling hands as he exited the train again to help one of the other passengers aboard. Seizing the opportunity which she may not be offered again, Elizabeth spoke to Jack in a quiet voice._

" _I'm sorry, Jack, for everything. If things were different, if I wasn't already-" She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat, "I would've chosen you."_

 _Jack looked up at her, momentarily caught off guard by this statement. For a split second, he allowed himself to imagine what it would be like if it was to him that she had been promised. The happiness that filled his chest at merely the thought of having the privilege to call her his was overwhelming. Yet it was just that; a thought, an imagination._

 _Shaking the hopefulness from his being, Jack bowed his head._

" _Safe travels, Miss Thatcher."_

 _He meant the words, but the chilling formality in his tone made them hard to hear even to his own ears._

 _He did not see Elizabeth's lips tremble faintly, nor her hands curling into soft fists to prevent herself from reaching up to palm his hardened face. All he saw was the hem of her navy blue skirt brushing against the train's steps before disappearing behind heavy iron doors. The whistle of the train startled Jack from his reverie and, raising his eyes once more, he spared a glance to Elizabeth's compartment window._

 _Yet her back was to him._

Jack drew in a slow, shaky breath. It had been a month since she had departed for Hamilton, and yet he felt as if their goodbye at the train station had been yesterday. He had tried to forget about her. He'd met several eligible young women in this month in Cape Fullerton. Many had come from good families, and for a time Jack wondered if a marriage of convenience could fill the crater that Elizabeth had left. Even his close friends had encouraged him to do it; told him it would be the best way to separate his _wistful fantasies_ from reality.

But Jack had fallen in love with Elizabeth from the moment he met her. And, like his mother always said, these kinds of phenomenons only happened once in a lifetime.

Jack was startled from his poignant musings when the voice of a lad floated up towards the cliff upon which he stood.

"Come on, Stanley," The boy was saying, "Come on, boy."

His words were met by a deep bark and Jack turned just in time to see both the youngster and a heavy set dog making their way up the steep incline. The boy was puffing for breath inbetween his commands to his dog, so Jack made his way down to aid the struggling lad.

"Here," He offered, extending a hand, "Let me help you up, son."

The boy looked up to Jack and suddenly his face lit up.

"You're a Mountie!" He pronounced with glee.

"That I am." The Constable grinned.

The boy eagerly thrust out a thin hand and Jack grasped it. He pulled him up onto the level top of the cliff and then stepped back a pace or so to allow the youngster and his animal some room. Once they were standing on the same ground, Jack was surprised to see how tall the boy was. He seemed to be only twelve or so, but he was taller than Jack himself had been at that age. He had strangely familiar blue eyes, a mop of ash brown hair, and a grin that displayed a lot of gum.

"Thank you, officer," The boy said, "I'm Jared, and this is my dog Stanley."

Taking the hand the boy offered, Jack shook it and gave his own name.

"It's really pretty up here," Jared declared after releasing Jack's hand, "I am glad Uncle William decided to have a vacation in Cape Fullerton, it's been too long since our last visit. How long have you been here?"

Jack was taken aback at how easily the boy had struck up a conversation with a complete stranger, but he answered the question truthfully and without hesitancy.

"And where were you stationed before you came here?"

Jack chuckled at the boy's inquisitiveness, but he was quick to sober up as the memories of his last posting filtered back in.

"It was a small mining town out West," He replied, his voice as faraway as his beloved town, "Coal Valley."

"Coal Valley?" The boy's face lighted up again, this time in surprising recognition, "I've heard of the place. Say, I think that's where my cousin Lizzie used to teach."

The last sentence knocked the wind right out of Jack.

"Lizzie?" He repeated breathlessly, "As in Elizabeth Thatcher?"

"Yes, that's my cousin. Do you know her?"

But before Jack was given the chance to respond, a clear voice belonging to a tall, elderly getnleman broke into their conversation.

"Jared," The man called, "We'll be late for our luncheon."

Jared informed Jack that the man who had spoken was his Uncle William, and then went on to apologize for having to leave so soon, but the boy's actions and words were all a blur to Jack. His mind became a target for the bombardment of questions that followed Jared's mere mention of Elizabeth. How was it possible that Jared and he had crossed paths? If Elizabeth's father and cousin were here, was she here too? Was she safe? Was she in good health? Was she… _happy_?

Jack flinched at the last question. He paced to and fro over the expanse of the cliff, trying in vain to calm his unsteady breaths. Should he wait? Should he walk the beaches? Should he follow after Jared?

The last option seemed to pull on him the strongest, but Jack was loath to pursue a boy he'd only just met. There wasn't any guarantee he would have good news to share. Yet still, not knowing anything at all seemed a hundred times worse than at least hearing the truth about what had been happening, no matter how hard to swallow.

In the excitement of the moment, Jack's impulse sparked again after the four long weeks of lying dormant.

"Jared!" He called. He descended the cliff as carefully as possible and, much to his relief, found that both Mr. Thatcher and his nephew had stopped to wait for him.

Once he had made his way down, Jack jogged the remainder of the way towards them so as not to further interfere with their lunch plans.

"Jared, Mr. Thatcher." He greeted them in turn.

"Constable," replied, his brow furrowing, "Is there something wrong?"

Jack was startled by this question, but he was quick to mentally face palm when he reminded himself that he was still clothed in his official uniform. Mr. Thatcher had stopped because he thought that they might've broken a rule or that the Constable needed information.

Jack still felt his impulse persisting for information, but this time his brain ruled over his heart.

"Nothing is wrong, sir. I only wanted to-" Jack struggled for an excuse, "I simply wanted to remind your nephew to take care when climbing the coastal cliffs. Several tourists have had some pretty close shaves this year by not watching their step."

Jack was glad that he could reinforce his shabby cover-up with the truth.

"Of course, Constable, thank you for the warning. No more going up there, understood young man?"

Jared nodded, absentmindedly scratching Stanley between the ears.

Mr. Thatcher seemed satisfied and started to turn away, but for some reason or another, he lingered.

"Constable, I've heard that you are one of the two Mounties stationed in Cape Fullerton. Are you by any chance Constable Jack Thornton?"

"Yes, sir." Jack replied.

Mr. Thatcher's eyes narrowed ever so slightly in scrutiny. Jack found an intensity in the gray eyes, as if Elizabeth's father was trying to size him up, to pin him down. He'd had experience with the inspections of his commanding officers, so he met the searching eyes with steady hazel ones.

They stayed that way a moment longer, and then Mr. Thatcher relaxed his tense gaze.

"Then I believe there is someone who has been waiting to see you." He said.

And without further elaboration, Mr. Thatcher turned away, his nephew and the dog fast on his heels. Jack followed a pace or so behind, his heart beginning to race. He dared not begin to hope, but how many other _someones_ did Mr. Thatcher know that he did too?

The shipping tycoon made his way across the beach and towards the areas where the sand receded and trimmed grass began to show through. He continued on towards the parking lot situated nearby, pausing just long enough to allow a car that was reversing out of the lot to get out into the road. He then led Jared and Jack to his Ford Model T.

"Jared, please wait inside." Mr. Thatcher instructed his nephew. The boy hefted his dog into his arms and climbed into the back seat without a word. Once the door was closed behind him, Elizabeth's father addressed Jack.

"Mr. Thornton, I wanted you to know that I was requested by my daughter Elizabeth to find you. She hasn't been herself since the day she returned home, and I believe it is you whom I have to charge for that."

Jack attempted to answer these direct words, but his mouth had gone dry. Mercifully, Mr. Thatcher was not expecting any answers just yet.

"I've always felt that Elizabeth has a good taste in the people she chooses to associate with, but to have someone pursue her when she was already promised to another…"

Elizabeth's father shook his head, clearly withholding any further remarks on the topic.

Jack felt it a waste to say anything in his own defense. He hadn't tried to pursue her, in spite of how it may look to others, but he knew he should've used more restraint when it came to what his heart wanted and what propriety demanded.

"Regardless, she's not been able to forget you, which meant that we were not allowed to either. So I have agreed to let her see you."

Mr. Thatcher drew in a deep breath and opened the passenger door. Jack stared in disbelief at the unexpected invitation, but he managed to gather his wits just long enough to enter the vehicle. The door shut sharply behind him. Jack watched in a daze as Mr. Thatcher rounded the Model T and eased into the front passenger's seat. After instructing the driver where he was to take them, the car backed out of the parking lot and onto the road.

For the whole unforeseen trip from the beach to Mr. Thatcher's home, Jack felt like he was living in a dream. It was all too unreal to believe. A whole month had passed by since they had said goodbye, how could it be possible that she had found him again? He tried not to think of what might've transpired since Elizabeth had left for Hamilton, but the more he tried not to think of it, the more he did. Mr. Thatcher said that she had not been able to forget him since her return, but not forgetting about somebody doesn't mean that one would put their life on hold. Her friends, her family…her fiancee. She wouldn't have just left them all hanging for him.

Wouldn't she have?

Jack felt a lump of nervousness growing in his throat as the driver sped past the neighbourhood in which most people of the middle class took up residence and on towards the areas of Cape Fullerton where one found the most spectacular views and with it the richest of its population.

They drove past several stately estates until they reached one of the oldest and most grandious of them all. The driveway was lined with spectacularly green poplar trees. The path itself was gravel, and it led up to an ominously large set of open gates upon which was wrought in iron the surname _Thatcher_. The car drove through the opening and up to the spacious parking lot where it was neatly parked.

When the vehicle stopped, Jack started to reach for the door handle to let himself and Jared out, but he withheld himself when he remembered that he was to leave that task to the chauffer. He waited patiently until the man opened Jared's side, and then he helped the boy to get his impatient dog out first. Jared then exited the car, followed closely in suit by Jack and Mr. Thatcher.

"John, please tell the ladies that we have a visitor." Mr. Thatcher instructed the butler who greeted them.

The tuxedo-clad gentleman hastened to do his master's bidding. Jack watched Jared play with Stanley as they waited, but he couldn't find it or anything else in his surroundings distracting enough to deter his mind from the one he was longing to see.

It was five minutes according to Jack's watch, although it felt more like a half an hour, before the butler returned. He informed them that the ladies were in the parlor and then proceeded to lead them up the immense porch steps. Pushing open the stainglass doors, they walked in the entrance's hallway where John removed Mr. Thatcher's coat. Jack momentarily wished that he had been wearing something less imposing and formal than his uniform, but he felt so overwhelmingly glad to get the chance to see Elizabeth again that he easily forgot his apparel.

"Jared, take Stanley to his kennel. I think he's had enough exercise for one day."

The boy obeyed his uncle without protest. With a few sharp commands the large dog pattered out the front door, followed closely by his young master.

Gared then led the two men to a large doorless parlor on the left.

"Ma'ams," The butler addressed the four ladies in the parlor, "Mr. Thatcher and-"

He paused momentarily, realizing that the young Constable had not yet introduced himself. He started to turn to Jack to ask his name, but before the question could be posed, a voice from the corner of the room captured all's attention.

"Jack."

Jack felt his heart fairly leap out of his chest. He knew it was sentimental of him, but he couldn't help the lump in his throat and the smile spreading across his face to see her rising to her feet.

He faintly heard the other three women, likely Elizabeth's sisters and mother, take their leave. Little else he registered, however, when Elizabeth crossed the room towards him.

"Jack," She repeated, relief filling her voice, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you again."

The words were like music to Jack's ears. He started curling and uncurling his fists, praying that the gentle bite of his nails into his palms were as real as the sight of Elizabeth standing before him.

"As am I," He breathed, glad that his voice was calmer than his nerves, "But how is this all possible? How did you know that I would've taken the posting in Cape Fullerton?"

Elizabeth swallowed. It seemed like she had a long story to tell him, so she motioned for him to sit on a couch opposite the one she'd been sitting in a moment ago. They accomodated themselves in their respective seats, and then Elizabeth drew a slow breath. Jack waited for her to gather her thoughts.

"When I returned to Hamilton, I felt like I had just lost everything. The pain of leaving you behind was the most awful I had ever experienced. I thought that I might've been able to continue my life as it had been before, but I simply could not. Everything reminded me of you. So I asked my family if I might return to Coal Valley to retrieve something of great importance that I had lost there."

She let out a watery chuckle at this and Jack felt as if gravity itself could not anchor his feet to the ground. Something of great importance. He was of great importance to her.

"Naturally they wanted to send someone else, but I insisted it was a personal matter and thus had to be retrieved personally. It took a lot of persuading, but eventually they let me go. When I arrived in Coal Valley, however, I was greeted by Abigail telling me you had left for Cape Fullerton but a few hours before."

Jack's eyes grew wide. If only he had waited a little longer-

"Oh, Elizabeth." Was all he could say.

The young Thatcher sniffled and continued, "So I had to return home empty handed. My parents were confused, but they did not ask me about my trip. They were beginning to worry that my engagement had been dragged out too long and informed me that it was time to set a date."

Elizabeth squeezed her hands together and Jack felt a shiver of relief descending his spine.

Her fingers were bare.

"But you broke off the engagement instead." He looked up into her eyes, stupefied.

"I couldn't go through with it, Jack," Elizabeth replied doggedly, "I don't love him, and I think it's safe to say he doesn't love me either because he was relieved with my decision. His father was the one who'd pushed him to propose to me. Charles considers me a good family friend, but he never wanted us to be more than that."

"But what did your parents say?" Jack found it hard, nigh impossible in fact, to believe that they wouldn't have protested such a seemingly foolish decision.

"They thought I'd gone mad," She answered quietly, staring at her hands, "But I didn't let what they said change my mind. When they asked what could've possibly made me end the engagement, your words came to me. You were so direct, so matter-of-fact, when you asked me if Charles made me happy. It shook me to my core. I told my parents about you and how I could not spend my life with someone whom I didn't feel happy with. I entreated Father to try to contact you during our summer vacation here in Cape Fullerton."

Elizabeth broke into a smile and met Jack's soft, listening eyes.

"I haven't missed anyone quite as much as I've missed you, but I treated you so poorly those three months that we were in Coal Valley. I was so naive, so blind to the fact that you cared for me. I'm ashamed at how many times you showed me the truth and I mistook it for the kind gestures of a friend. I just…I'm so sorry that I was such a fool."

"Elizabeth," Jack said, his brow furrowing in consternation at her words, "You have nothing to apologize for. You treated me as your friend, that is all we _could've_ been. But now-" And here he paused, standing to his feet, "Could you possibly see a future with a Mountie who loves you?"

Elizabeth's breath seemed to have caught in her throat. Slowly, she rose from the couch and took a short, halting step towards him. Jack did not respond to the movement, so she took another and then another until she stood barely a foot away from him. She momentarily searched his eyes before lifting her hands to place them on either side of his neck, thumbs rubbing circles into his strong jawline. Biting her lip, Elizabeth stared for a silent moment, enthralled with how their closeness made all the flecks of nut browns, faded blues, and muted greens in his eyes all the more striking.

She knew her answer. She'd known eversince she had met him in Coal Valley but she hadn't been paying attention to the voice of her heart, in spite of the way it had kept growing in volume and intesity. She was ready to listen to it now, and so it was with a determined spirit that Elizabeth lifted her lips to meet his.

The kiss was soft and hesitant at first, reflecting back on when Jack had first met Elizabeth. Never daring to overstep his boundaries. Always fearing he would say something out of term, always fearing his actions would betray him.

But he too could dare listen to his heart now. He didn't have to fear what he said or did, because the arms that were wrapping around his neck weren't the same that had pitied his unreciprocated feelings four long weeks ago. These were the ones of acceptance, the ones that caused their kiss to deepen and their hearts to palpitate.

Breaking away to draw what felt like their first breaths, they rested their foreheads together to collect themselves.

"Does that answer your question?" Elizabeth breathed.

Jack's answering chuckle bubbled out from deep within his chest. It was more confirmation than he could've ever hoped for. Elizabeth smiled and closed her eyes, appreciating the lingering sensation of his lips pressed to hers.

"Let's take this one day at a time, Jack."

He nodded against her forehead. There was still so much to be resolved. The Thatchers and Thorntons had yet to be better acquainted. Elizabeth couldn't stay in Cape Fullerton, and she would need her parent's permission to return to Coal Valley if the teaching position were offered again. And if she were to return, as both of them hoped that she would, Jack would need his superior's leave to change postings. It was currently a mess of things needing to be straightened out, but it did not matter to either of them as long as they could face these problems together.

As Jack revelled in the sensation of his dreams and actuality cynergizing into one glorious reality, he suddenly remembered something. He pulled his head away from hers and searched his serge's breast pocket. To his relief, it was still there.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked, eyelashes fluttering in confusion.

Jack smiled softly and detangled her left arm from around his neck. Then, holding it in his, he used his free hand to take out a small, golden band.

"It's a promise ring," He explained when Elizabeth's eyes widened, "My mother gave it to me many years ago, and with precise instructions. I was not to give it to a woman whom I could live with, but to the one whom I could not live without."

Jack paused to meet Elizabeth's eyes, silently requesting her permission. She nodded at once and watched as he slipped the ring onto her finger. No embellishments and no precious stones were needed to dress up its beautiful simplicity. It was pure and perfect just as it was, just like Jack's love for her.

"Oh, Jack," She murmured, tearing her eyes away from the precious gift, "I love you."

Jack released a quiet exhale of happiness, the misery of the past month and of restraining the willings of his heart drifting away like chaff on the wind.

"I love you too, Elizabeth."

(And there it is, a new one-shot! I thought I might never finish this one, but it is such a relief to be able to say that I have 3 Thank you all for taking the time to read, I so appreciate it! Please review, favourite, and/or follow if you enjoyed and want to see more!)


	8. Chapter 8: The Thing Death Cannot Steal

The Thing Death Cannot Steal

By Cel140

 _ **New one-shot #Hearties! This story was influenced by an anonymous quote and the song Saturn by Sleeping at Last.**_

 **Setting: Hope Valley**

 **Category: AU**

 **Rating: K+**

 _Death leaves a heartache no one can heal._  
It was exactly 6:47 a.m. when Elizabeth gave up on sleeping. She'd had enough of the deafening silence that threatened to drive her insane, enough of not knowing the fate of her husband and his group of Mounties. Jack had been unable to give her the details on the case they were working on, but he promised that he would return by the end of the month. Elizabeth knew he never fell back on his promises.  
Quietly, she sat up and threw off the bed sheets. She slipped her legs over the edge of the bed, and then proceeded to wriggle her stocking-clad feet into her boots. A wave of anxiety sent cold beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, but she resisted it as best she could.  
"He is alright," She said aloud, "Has there ever been a time when he has not come home?"  
And then she wished she'd said nothing, for the nefarious silence only seemed to laugh at her optimism, as if it knew something that she did not.  
She needed to escape it now, and to help reassure herself that Jack was coming, she went ahead and donned his favourite of her outfits. She then walked across the room to her wardrobe mirror to view at her reflection the early daylight. The scarlet hue of her knitted sweater matched her off-white skirt perfectly.  
"It suits you," She heard him say in her head, "But then again, just about anything suits you."  
A demure smile tugged at the corner of her lips at the memory.  
He was coming home, she could feel it.  
After a hasty dab of powder under her tired eyes and a quick brush of her hair, Elizabeth drew herself to her full height and made her way quietly to her child's bedroom. Faith, who by now had grown several years out of her crib, slept in the room next to her parent's. Elizabeth assumed she was still asleep, but was stopped in her tracks when a small voice called out of the darkness.  
"Where's Papa?"  
Elizabeth felt a warmth rise in her chest at her child's sense of priorities.  
"I am going to ride into town to meet him, alright sweetheart?" She replied, sitting on the edge of the bed to straighten Faith's unruly dark hair, "Sleep a little while longer."  
"But can't I come with you?"  
The dimpled smile on Faith's face was endearingly identical to Jack's. Elizabeth knew by experience that there was no use refusing it.  
"Alright," She conceded, "But get dressed quickly."  
Faith sprung out of bed like a jack-in-a-box and tottered over to the stool in the corner of her room where she had placed her pinafore and blouse. Elizabeth helped her into both and then raced after the five year old when she bolted out the front door. Once they were both outside, Elizabeth locked the entrance. There was no use bringing Rip, the lazy dog was sleeping anyway.  
"We can have breakfast with Papa," Faith said excitedly as they walked across the dewy ridge surrounding their house, "Rip will be so happy!"  
"We _all_ will be." Elizabeth assured.  
They made their way into the barn where they kept their two cows, a goat, and Elizabeth's beautiful dark mare. All four animals were awake long before Elizabeth opened the doors. Faith shuffled towards immediately Betsy the cow to pet her while Elizabeth saddled her mare. Once the buckles and bridle were all on securely, Elizabeth scooped Faith up in her arms and mounted the horse. Then, with a firm kick into her sides, the mare sprinted out of the barn and into the open fields.  
The windy ride that ensued thoroughly awoke both mother and child. They felt the adrenaline pumping in their veins, renewing the strength of their excitement over the prospect of finally seeing Jack after a long month of absence.  
They rode past the pond alongside the stately schoolhouse, and then down the hills towards town. It was seven in the morning by the time they reached the main road that led into town, and once there Elizabeth dismounted and hefted Faith out of the saddle.  
"Don't go into Auntie Abigail's Cafe yet, Faith," Elizabeth reminded gently, "Wait for me outside the saloon."  
Faith obediently skipped off towards the building, yet as Elizabeth looked away to tie her mare, her child suddenly gasped.  
In motherly instinct, Elizabeth rushed over to where Faith was standing. She started to ask her what was wrong, but her child's stubby little finger simply pointed ahead. Elizabeth's eyes followed the indication, and her breath caught in her throat. Riding down the main road, about as far off as Elizabeth's eyes could see, were Jack's assembly of Mounties. They were quite literally galloping towards town. Elizabeth wondered why they were in such a rush, but she felt there might be some sort of an emergency so she ushered Faith into the saloon, requesting Mr. Trevoy to keep an eye on her.  
Upon exiting the saloon, Elizabeth found the Mounties had already arrived and dismounted. There was a general confusion in the air and all wore grave faces.  
"Constable Mulcair, what is going on?" Elizabeth asked worriedly, "Is everyone alright, are you hurt?"  
Constable Mulcair seemed in a daze. His eyes were bloodshot and for a moment he seemed not to have understood the question. Then he slowly shook his head, and in an entirely unprofessional tone he murmured, "Not me, Mrs. Thornton. Him."  
Elizabeth turned sharply and a cry caught halfway through her throat. There, hanging limply in the arms of two of his fellow lawmen, was Jack. She froze in her spot, unable to say or do anything.  
One of the Mounties began to explain that Jack had been shot by an escaped convict on their way to Hope Valley. Constable LeFroy and Bill Avery had gone in pursuit of the outlaw. They gauged that the bullet was imbedded in Jack's chest cavity, probably only a few inches from his heart. Getting a doctor was a futile effort, the Constables had seen enough wounds to know that this one was fatal.  
Elizabeth understood the information as any levelheaded adult would, but somehow her heart could not make the connection between the shooting and her husband. She felt like she was detached from her body, as if someone else's husband had been shot and she was watching the grievous scene unfold.  
It was only when the two Mounties carried Jack to where she was standing on the saloon porch that Elizabeth finally realized that this was happening to _her_.

" _Oh, dear Lord_ …" She whispered aloud.

Her knees gave way when they rested him on the wooden floor and quickly she pulled him onto her lap, her heart twisting at the sight of his red serge stained with the deeper red of his blood.  
Once in her familiar arms, however, Jack's eyes fluttered open.  
He did not speak at once, but he offered her such a soft and adoring smile that she wondered if he could feel the pain at all.  
"You're alive." Tears glistened in Elizabeth's eyes when she said this.  
"Elizabeth." Jack murmured.  
The Constables stepped away to provide some privacy.  
"Yes, Jack, I'm here."  
"You look beautiful," He said, tracing his fingers along the collar of her red sweater. He tugged her long hair in the process, but Elizabeth could not care less. He could pull all her hair if that meant he would stay with her just a little longer.  
"And you're as handsome as ever." She replied.  
Jack let out something like a strangled chuckle, "You're just saying that because I'm your husband."  
Elizabeth whimpered bittersweetly and quickly swiped away the tears that had fallen on her cheeks.  
"Papa!" Came a little cry from the saloon entrance. Elizabeth's neck snapped upwards upon hearing her daughter's voice.  
"I'm sorry Mrs. Thornton," Mr. Trevoy started to say, "This one has a knack for getting-"  
And then he stopped short, taking in the scene before him. Deep empathy filled his often stern brown eyes and he clamped what he meant to be comforting hands on Faith's little shoulders.  
"It's alright Mr. Trevoy," Jack smiled, nodding in acknowledgement to the bartender before looking to his daughter, "I wanted to see her."  
Faith easily broke free from Mr. Trevoy's grasp and stumbled to Jack. She knelt beside her father and turned a sickly pale upon seeing how much blood he was losing.  
"No, darling," Jack prompted, determined not to let the memory of his wound be in the forefront of her innocent mind, "Look up at Papa, don't worry about anything else."  
Faith slowly pulled her gaze upwards and produced a handkerchief from her pinafore's front pocket to stem Jack's tears. She knew how much he hated it when those dear to him saw him cry.  
"I love you, Faith," His said, touched by her affectionate gesture, "Don't ever forget it."  
He then turned to his wife and lifted the other hand to palm her cheek.  
"And I love you, Elizabeth." His voice cracked as he said this, "Please promise me you won't let my passing harden your beautiful heart."  
"I promise." Elizabeth whispered, her jaw setting as a fresh flow of tears blurred her vision.  
"Tell my family goodbye?"  
Elizabeth knew that he did not mean just Tom and Charlotte. She could only bring herself to nod.  
The life was fading frighteningly quickly from his face and breath. His eyes were beginning to become unfocused, so Elizabeth forced herself to say the words she knew she would never be able to say to him again in this life.  
"I love you, Jack."  
Bringing her face to his, Elizabeth kissed his lips deeply, a kiss which he returned with as much fervour as he had in him. The family stayed there for another few moments till Elizabeth broke away slowly from Jack.  
His chest had stopped rising and falling.  
"He's gone." Elizabeth said quietly. Her statement hung heavily in the air.  
The Constables watching removed their hats and held them above their hearts. Faith wrapped her arms round her Father's neck, little shoulders trembling.  
And, as if even Mother Nature had heard their grief, large drops of rain began to collect and fall.

Two days later, all the arrangements had been prepared for Jack Thornton's burial. Charlotte and Tom had both been informed of the grievous news via telegram. Tom was to arrive within the hour, whereas Charlotte had ridden day and night to reach Hope Valley the day before. Elizabeth had also telegrammed her father, and although her parents had been in Cape Fullerton on business, they had quickly cancelled their meetings to come.

The bullet in Jack's chest had been removed and the wound sewn, and with Charlotte's help Elizabeth clothed him in his impeccably immaculate dress uniform. Elizabeth started to comb through his soft hair, but halfway through the task she broke into a fit of sobbing and had to have Abigail and Charlotte pull her away from him.  
"I love him," She cried into their shoulders as they embraced her,"I love him so much."  
"I know, sweetheart." Abigail said. Tears slid down her cheeks as she rubbed comforting circles into Elizabeth's back.

"We all do." Charlotte whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat.  
Elizabeth was beside herself with grief, so Abigail took it upon herself to comb Jack's hair just the way he'd like it. She pinned on his well-deserved honorary badges and then placed a parting gift into his limp hand. It was a handsome gold-plated pocket watch that had been passed down in her family for several generations. Abigail had always wanted to give it to Peter, but since no one had been able to recover his body from that awful mine shaft, she decided to give it to the man whom she'd come to love as dearly as her own son.  
Charlotte polished Jack's boots as well as his shoulder and collar badges, and then Abigail summoned Pastor Frank to lead the funeral procession.  
Elizabeth changed into the mourning gown she had worn to her Aunt Elizabeth's funeral and pulled a string of jade black beads around her slim throat. She had a speech prepared for the funeral, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to deliver it without letting the dam break loose.  
A light tug at Elizabeth's skirt brought her attention to her overwhelmed little one.  
"I'm coming sweetheart," Elizabeth assured slowly, a stinging in her heart at seeing Faith in such a state, "Wait outside with your Grandmother, alright?"  
Faith walked towards the door where the aforementioned woman was standing and wordlessly allowed Charlotte to lead her out of the spare bedroom.  
The door closed behind them, and no sooner had it done so that Elizabeth let out another quiet sob. She stumbled blindly towards their guest room's bed and sat on the edge of it beside Jack.  
"How am I going to live without you?" She cried softly, wrapping a hand tightly around his.  
She could not find it in herself to let go, not while there was still warmth left in his body.

But she had to.  
"God let us live a life together, and no matter how short it was, I'll forever be grateful to Him. You have been my love and my heart. Now, when I look up at the stars, I will see _your_ gentle eyes shining down on me from the heavens," She paused, caressing his closed eyelids with soft fingertips, "Protecting and loving me as you would've done if only you were still here."  
Her voice grew choked up near the end, but Elizabeth swallowed the lump in her throat and continued.  
"I will see you smiling down at me, and I will know that you are at peace in paradise."  
She gently caressed his jawline with her knuckles before withdrawing. She would never be able to let him go, but for his sake, for her family, and for her friends, she would be strong.  
A soft knock broke the grievious moment. Elizabeth quickly swiped her tears on her black gloves and called out in a surprisingly calm voice to whomever was on the other side of the door to enter.  
The door creaked open and in stepped Pastor Frank. His eyes betrayed a glimpse of deep sadness before he regained his composure.  
"Are you ready?"  
His soft tone somewhat soothed Elizabeth. She gave Jack's hand a final squeeze, and then nodded.  
Four Mounties carrying a cushioned stretcher entered. They placed her husband's body onto it, hoisted it, and carried him out. Elizabeth felt a pang in her heart when the movement jostled Jack's limp form. She almost wanted to tell the Constables to be more gentle, and yet to what purpose?  
Jack couldn't feel it anyway.  
Elizabeth felt another lump coming to her throat, but thankfully she was not left to face this harsh reality alone. Unbeknowst to her, Frank had walked up to stand by her side and now his warm hand rested gently on her shoulder. Wordlessly, he guided her after the stretcher.  
They exited the front porch out into the crisp early afternoon air. Countless of familiar faces greeted Elizabeth, each with their own varying degrees of grief. Tom, having recently arrived, was among them and wore an expression of unimaginable pain. She tried not to maintain eye contact with any of them for fear that one of these faces would show enough empathy and grief to cause her tears to flow again. She had promised herself to be strong, and that's exactly what she would do.  
Charlotte was standing on the far left of the porch and, clutching at her black skirt, was a pale faced Faith. The lifelessness in her father's face and body was clawing at her from the inside, Elizabeth could see it. She was barely five years old, and already she had experienced the very worst trauma that any child could.  
Elizabeth stretched her arms out wide and that was all the prompting the little one needed to come racing across the porch. Faith collapsed into sobs upon reaching Elizabeth's arms and so she scooped her up, whispering sweet nothings into her ear to comfort her.  
Once Faith's crying had subsided into the occasional hiccup, Elizabeth nodded to Frank to lead the funeral procession.  
A long walk ensued before the group reached their destination. Elizabeth's skin tingled in a eerily mournful fashion upon entering the graveyard, remembering the day when there had been the funerals for the miners. She remembered clearly where all the widows and other mourners had been standing. Jack had been in the far back, wearing an unreadable mixture of deja-vu and empathy on his face. If she looked back now at the spot where he had been sitting astride Sergeant, she swore she could almost see a phantom of him in the mid-afternoon light.  
It was crushing that he disappeared when she blinked her eyes.  
Pastor Frank's clear voice redirected her fleeting attentions to the front of the graveyard.  
"Beloved," He said, as the four Constables placed Jack's body into the open satin-lined coffin, "We are gathered here today to grieve the loss of our Constable, but I know it is not my place to speak of a man whom I did not have the honor of knowing as well as someone else did."  
He exchanged glances with Elizabeth. Now was the time. She nodded faintly and walked to the right side of her husband's coffin. For a few quiet moments she watched enthralled, absorbing every tiny detail of Jack's face, locking it in her memory for as long as it could be kept there. Even when it was drained of color, Elizabeth thought his visage as handsome and loving as ever.  
Quietly clearing her throat, she opened her mouth.

Yet, much to her consternation, nothing came out.

She had spoken at her dear Aunt Elizabeth's funeral and had not stumbled once for words, despite the extreme heaviness on her heart at her loss. She had never been one that was short on words, both as a teacher and an accomplished writer, but for a few silent moments she found nothing powerful enough to match the raw emotions in her heart.

She stared blankly at the crowd of people before her, taking in the patient and empathetic looks on each of their precious faces. Abigal, Tom, Charlotte, Lee, Rosemary, little Faith, Faith, Dottie, Molly, Florence, her school children-

She drew in a deep breath. One at a time, her words came back to her.

"I met Jack nearly ten years ago," She began, a sad smile in her voice, "At our saloon of all places. I remember as if it was yesterday. Jack and I shook hands after we'd introduced ourselves, but I was quick to withdraw my hand when I realized I may have left him with some of my chalk dust. What I didn't realize then was that it was he who'd left, and is still leaving, an impression a thousand times stronger than that of my chalk dust. The one of his courage, compassion, honesty, and love."

Elizabeth paused momentarily to collect her thoughts, to find the words that would translate what was on her heart. She felt her wedding ring press against her finger and was compelled to continue.

"Jack loved to be of service to all those around him. Not just in an official capacity, but on a much deeper level. Anytime someone in our community or elsewhere faced emotional or physical issues, Jack made it his priority to help in any way he could."

Elizabeth found many nodding at the truth in her words. Edith and Roy, the settler couple that had been reunited by Jack. Nurse Faith, whom Jack had talked out of a loveless marriage and who was now happily engaged to Dr. Burns. Adam Miller, whom Jack had persuaded to return to his family despite his physical disability. Wendell Bacchus, whom Jack had helped both in an emotional aspect and in his drinking addiction. Cat Montgomery, whom Jack had gone out of his way to prove innocent of arsony. His fellow Constables, whose lives had been forever impacted by Jack's camaraderie and loyalty.

"The amount of people that his life touched in some way or another is innumerable. It is not easy to forget someone who has given us all so much to remember, and I know that I never will, but I also know he would want us to be brave," Elizabeth blinked skyward against the tears threatening to spill, "I believe some of his last words to me ring true for us all, ' _Don't let my passing harden your beautiful heart_ '. No matter how it hurts, no matter how hard it is to let go, we mustn't let his passing harden our hearts. We must live every day as he would've; with zeal, empathy, and bravery. In that way, the legacy he has left will continue to live on in us and to impact countless generations to come."

Elizabeth found that she couldn't trust the steadiness of her voice any longer and bowed her head. Mercifully, Frank took it from there.

"Father," He prayed, "We commit into your hands Jack's spirit. We pray for peace to fill our hearts and for strength to face the pain. Thank you God, for having blessed and changed our lives for the better through this remarkable man."

A chorus of _amen_ s resounded throughout the crowd.

"To our fellow Constable." Constable Mulcair said.

He and the other Mounties present lifted their hands in salute. Elizabeth nodded gratefully towards the officers and yet, as they were starting to lower their hands again, Gabe Montgomery raised his own. The movement created a train reaction. As far as Elizabeth could see, the hands of men, women, and children were placed to their foreheads, palms displayed in a farewell salute to their Constable. Elizabeth felt her heart swell with pride.

"How about that, Jack?" She murmured to the darkening sky, tears trickling freely from her bright eyes, "Everyone in town is saluting you."

She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of his smile shining down on her.

" _You taught me the courage of stars before you left_ ," She sang softly, moved by the poignant moment, " _How light carries on endlessly, even after death. With shortness of breath, you explain the infinite. How rare and beautiful it is to even exist_."

As she sang, each one of the mourners stepped forward to place a flower into the coffin.

" _I couldn't help but ask you to say it all again. I tried to write it down, but I could never find a pen. I'd give anything to hear you say it one more time that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes_."

One by one, the coffin was filled with roses, stiff tulips, tiny baby's breaths, and stunning lilies. When it was Elizabeth's turn, she placed a frilly off-gold carnation on his chest, the same as the corsage he had given her on their first date. After it had been placed there, the young widow felt a hand on her shoulder that she at once recognized as Abigail's.

"He would've loved it." Her friend said gently.

Elizabeth drew a deep breath and nodded. The four Constables who had carried Jack's body stepped forward, holding the coffin's lid. Carefully, so as not to crush any of the parting gifts, they rested the black cover and sealed it.

There was a great commotion when Bill and Constable LeFroy returned three days after Jack's funeral. Those in town who had quicker tempers raised their voices and pointed accusing fingers. Rosemary was almost close to giving the escaped convict a black eye, but she withheld herself when she saw the unreadable expression on Elizabeth's face. The newly widowed woman didn't speak, and yet her silence was powerful enough to bring guilt into even the hardest of hearts.  
Rosemary put her arms around Elizabeth.  
"You're the strongest woman I've ever met, Elizabeth Thornton." She said quietly.  
Elizabeth swallowed. She certainly didn't feel all this incredible strength within her, but her friend's words were comforting. With a small nod into Rosemary's shoulder, Elizabeth removed herself from the embrace and drew in a deep breath.  
Slowly, she made her way across the dirt road and up the jail porch's steps. The door was open, but Elizabeth lingered upon the threshold, debating whether or not to enter. She watched as Constable LeFroy locked the door of the cell in which the convict was being temporarily confined.  
"Elizabeth," Bill said, "You shouldn't be here."  
She did not acknowledge his statement, "Is he the one?"  
"Elizabeth-"  
"Is he the one?" She cut him off sharply.  
"Elizabeth, please, with all due respect this isn't something you should be worrying about. Let me handle it."  
The firmness in his tone would've convinced many to submit to his wishes, but this was a matter from which Elizabeth would not back down. She planted her feet steadily on the wooden floorboards.  
"With all due respect, Constable Avery, I have a right to see the man who took my husband from me."  
Bill looked at her with intent eyes for a few moments before letting his gaze stray inquiringly to Constable LeFroy. The Mountie spared a quick glance at Elizabeth and gave an affirmative nod.  
They had no right to deny her her request.  
Bill's shoulders hung wearily, however, as he motioned for Elizabeth to come in. This hadn't been something that he'd wanted to burden her with, not after everything she'd had to deal with of late. All the pain, all the memories; Bill feared her talking to Jack's murderer would be her emotional undoing.  
Constable LeFroy slipped quietly out of the jail, leaving Bill to watch from behind Jack's desk as Elizabeth neared the convict's cell.  
Elizabeth felt very lightheaded. She kept her eyes firmly on the man behind the bars, but her feet didn't seem as grounded on the floor as they had been. She brought a chair within a few paces of the cell and sat in it just as she felt her knees about to buckle. Coaching her breathing into steadiness, Elizabeth looked into the almost black irises of the criminal.  
"What is your name?" She asked, quietly yet clearly.  
"I ain't here to chat, lady." The man retorted. "You canna ask that man whose hidin' behind his buddy's desk, he'll tell."  
Bill's expression contracted in anger. "Mrs. Thornton asked you a question, and you will answer her."  
The convict gave Bill a disdainful glance, but Elizabeth detected a hint of fear in his eyes when he looked back at her.  
"Name's Johnnie Irving. What a _pleasure_ it's to meet you."

Elizabeth ignored his tone of voice, "Are you the man who killed my husband?"

"Killed?" Irving asked, plastering his face with feigned mortification, "Well, I dinna know that bullet in his chest would'a killed him. You should'a seen him though when he fell, all groanin' and moanin' for his sweetheart. And the blood, it was ev'rywhere."

Elizabeth felt like her ribs were caving into her lungs. Her head was whirling and she gripped the edges of her chair for balance, barely listening to Bill commanding Irving to shut his mouth.

Jack had been in pain, insufferable pain, and in his darkest hour she had not been there to take him into her arms. She'd been too late to tell him everything was going to be alright, too late to have saved him.

"It's a shame," Irving continued undeterred, the agony he was inflicting upon Elizabeth too delightful for him to stop, "He looked barely thirty, but already death comes an' snatches him away. "

Elizabeth stared at Irving, too overcome with emotion to say or do anything, but the longer she looked at him, the more her grief morphed into anger. This man, with whom Jack had never crossed paths nor given any cause to resent, had ended her husband's life. He had unravelled the very thread that kept the fabric of their town together and safe from harm, inflicting pain and suffering upon them all.

Suddenly, Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to strike this heartless murderer across the cheek. Her small fists balled up and yet, just as she was preparing to hit him, she could hear Jack's voice resounding in her mind with a stronger and more urgent tone than he had ever used before.

" _Elizabeth_ , _don't. Remember what I said; don't let my passing harden your beautiful heart. This criminal_ _ **isn't**_ _worth it_."

Elizabeth's hands fell limp against her sides. She trembled, turning very white. Bill noted the change in her expression and his heart went out to her.

"Elizabeth, I beg of you, _go_."

This time, the young widow did not fight his request. She lifted herself out of her chair and stumbled across the floor. Yet, before she had reached the door, she turned and faced Jack's murderer. Past his act of indifference and cruelity, she could see fear and perhaps even a form of guilt in his eyes. She knew she had to forgive him, just as Christ had forgiven those who had let him be crucified.

"I forgive you, Johnnie Irving." Standing on the jail's threshold, she quietly paraphrased the verse in Luke 23:34, "Forgive him Father, for he knew not what he was doing."

And although it was with a broken heart that Elizabeth left the jail, she found a shred of comfort in the fact that she had not fallen back on her promise to Jack. She would be true to her word for as long as there was breath in her body. She would forgive, and she would remember.

 _But_ _ **love**_ _leaves a memory no one can steal._

 **Please don't hate me for this one-shot #Hearties! I was listening to the heartbreaking song I mentioned at the beginning, which I incorporated into the story, and it made me want to try out an angsty Jack and Elizabeth fanfiction. I wanted to push myself to see if I could write something sad and moving, so please let me know your thoughts on whether or not I've accomplished that. Thank you everyone for your amazing support and please review, fave, and/or follow for more Constabeth one-shots!**


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